April 30, 2026: When is the true Flower Moon night? Learn why timing matters while tracking Venus in Taurus and Jupiter near Pollux in the evening sky.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 5:48 a.m. CDT; Sunset, 7:48 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
As the month ends at Chicago’s latitude, daylight spans 14 hours. It grew 77 minutes during April.
Moon, Evening Planets
Only two bright planets and the moon are visible during the nighttime hours from the mid-northern latitudes. Mercury, Mars, Saturn, and Neptune rise during morning twilight, while Uranus is a challenging sight after sunset near the Pleiades.
Flower Moon
Which is the night of the Flower Moon? Many calendars and almanacs state that tomorrow evening’s Flower Moon marks the Full moon night.
The Full phase occurs when the moon is 100% illuminated and opposite the sun. In North America, this occurs at 12:23 p.m. CDT, 6 hours, 36 minutes after sunrise when the moon is below in the horizon in the western hemishere. The setting moon on the morning of May 1 (night of April 30/May 1) is “fuller” than moonrise on that evening (night of May 1/May 2).
Most casual observers think a moon in the eastern evening sky is often associated with the Full moon. It is up to you to make the choice, or enjoy both nights of a bright moon with outdoor activities and evening walks in the moonlight as spring’s midpoint approaches.
After sunset tonight, the Full moon is low in the southeast, over 10° to Spica’s lower left, Virgo’s brightest star. It is in the sky all night and appears in the southwest before sunrise.
Venus, Evening Star
The two brightest planets are easy to see in the western sky. Brilliant Venus is visible in the west-northwest as early as 30 minutes after sunset, shining through evening twilight’s colors. The Evening Star is the brightest starlike body in the sky, followed by Jupiter.
An hour after sunset, the brilliant planet is about 15° above the horizon. Venus steps eastward in front of Taurus, to the upper right of the “V” of Taurus, made by Aldebaran and the Hyades star cluster, which outline the Bull’s head. Tonight, it passes 3.5° to the upper right of Epsilon Tauri (ε Tau), the star at the upper right of the V. Use a binocular to see the dimmer stars with Venus.
Venus, Sirius
Look for Sirius in the southwestern sky at this hour. It is at about the same altitude as Venus. Their positions, over 50° apart, are worth noting only for skywatching purposes. There is no astronomical alignment, only the brightest planet and brightest star at similar altitudes during evening twilight.
Jupiter, Gemini
Bright Jupiter is about halfway from the west horizon to overhead, less than 50° to Venus’ upper left. It is below the star Pollux, one of the Gemini Twins. Tonight, use a binocular to spot Jupiter, 0.6
The Jovian Giant moves eastward at about one-tenth of Venus’ speed. Their conjunction occurs on June 9. Tonight, use a binocular to spot Jupiter’s conjunction with Wasat, 0.6° to the lower left.
Step outside during the next few evenings to see a bright Flower Moon. In the west, brilliant Venus passes stars in Taurus, while Jupiter plods slowly eastward in front of Gemini.
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