April 5, 2026: Ten of the brightest stars are visible in early spring evenings. Use this guide to locate Sirius, Arcturus, Jupiter, and other standout stars after twilight.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 6:27 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:21 p.m. CDT. Times are calculated by the US Naval Observatory’s MICA computer program. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times.
Venus as an Evening Star
Early Spring Night Sky
During early spring evenings, 10 of the 15 brightest stars visible from mid-northern latitudes are in view. Step outside about two hours after sunset, after twilight ends. The bright stars that dominate the southern sky on winter evenings are now shifted farther westward.
In brightness rank, they are: Sirius, Arcturus, Capella, Rigel, Procyon, Betelgeuse, Aldebaran, Spica, Pollux, and Regulus.
Planets
Planet Jupiter appears brighter than all the stars in the sky. Marked by a letter “J” on the accompanying chart, the Jovian Giant is high in the west, near the Gemini Twins, Castor and Pollux. While not easily visible Uranus’ location is labelled with a letter “U.”
On the chart, the circle represents the horizon, and the center, marked with a “+,” is the overhead point, also known as the zenith. To identify a star, rotate the map in the direction the star appears. The star’s placement on the map is in the same position it appears in the sky. For example, Sirius is near the southwest horizon, less than one-fourth of the way from the horizon circle to the center overhead point, appearing in the same place in the sky.
The Stars
At this season, Sirius is likely twinkling wildly — appearing to rapidly change colors. Later in the month, Venus and Sirius are at nearly the same altitude during evening twilight. They are over 50° apart in the sky, but they are the same height above the horizon.
In addition to Jupiter, Sirius, and the Gemini Twins, find Rigel, Betelgeuse, Aldebaran, Procyon, and Capella in the western sky.
Rotate the map with south at the bottom. Regulus, Leo’s brightest star, is about halfway up in the southern sky. In the eastern sky, topaz-colored Arcturus and Spica stand out.
In the north, the brighter circumpolar stars are visible. The Big Dipper is high in the north, while Cassiopeia is near the horizon, and Polaris is approximately halfway from the horizon circle to the overhead point.
Look for early spring’s bright stars after evening twilight ends.
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