April 19, 2021: Venus begins to appear in the west after sunset. The moon lines up with Pollux and Castor, while Mars is above Bull’s horns in the western evening sky.

by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:04 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:36 p.m. CDT. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location.
Venus begins its evening apparition. Find it low in the west-northwest about 20 minutes after sunset.
Read more about Venus in our summary document.
One hour after sunset, the nearly half-full moon is over two-thirds of the way up in the sky in the southwest. It is 5.0° to the lower left of Pollux, a Gemini Twin. Notice that the moon, Pollux, and Castor appear along the same imaginary line.
At this time, Mars is less than halfway up in the west. It is above the Bull’s horns, Elnath and Zeta Tauri (ζ Tau on the chart). This evening the Red Planet is 4.6° to the upper right of Zeta Tauri.
In five evenings, Mars moves into Gemini.
Here’s more about Mars during 2021.
Read about Mars during April.
Detailed Note: One hour before sunrise, Saturn – nearly 18° above the southeast horizon – is 1.5° to the upper right of θ Cap. Jupiter (m = −2.2) – over 13° up in the east-southeast – is 13.9° to the lower left of Saturn. In the starfield, Jupiter is 3.3° to the upper left of Deneb Algiedi, 0.4° to the lower left of μ Cap, and 2.8° to the upper right of Iota Aquarii (ι Aqr, m = 4.3). Use a binocular to find the starry background and to observe Jupiter’s eastward trek compared to it. In six mornings, Jupiter crosses into Aquarius. Twenty minutes after sunset, Venus (m = −3.9) is making its first naked-eye evening appearance. This prediction is from factors described by Jean Meeus’ book, Mathematical Astronomy Morsels. Find it about 2° up in the west-northwest. In a darker sky, forty minutes later, the moon (8.0d, 48%) is over two-thirds of the way up in the southwest. It is 5.0° to the lower left of Pollux. The half-full moon, Pollux, and Castor (α Gem, m = 1.6) are in a line. Meanwhile, farther west, Mars is about 40° up in the west. It is 4.6° to the upper right of ζ Tau.
Read more about the planets during April 2021.
LATEST ARTICLES
- 2023, December 28: Gemini Moon, Morning Star, Jupiter, SaturnDecember 28, 2023: The bright moon is near Pollux, one of the Gemini Twins. Venus is in the southeast before sunrise. Jupiter and Saturn shine during the evening hours.
- 2023, December 27: Morning Cold Moon, Morning Star, Jupiter, SaturnDecember 27, 2023: The Cold Moon is in the western sky before sunrise. Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn are visible during nighttime hours.
- 2023, December 26: Cold Moon, Venus, Jupiter, SaturnDecember 26, 2023: The Cold Moon is visible during the nighttime hours. Venus shines before sunrise while Jupiter and Saturn are visible after sundown.
- 2023, December 25: Telescope First Light, Bright PlanetsDecember 25, 2023: For sky watchers with new telescopes, here’s what to look at before dawn or after sunset.
- 2023, December 24: Morning Moon, Pleiades, Antares Heliacal RisingDecember 24, 2023: The moon appears near the Pleiades star cluster during the earlier morning hours. Antares is at its first morning appearance, known as the heliacal rising.