April Constellations

For northern hemisphere viewers early evening will show the last of the winter constellations. April offers the first opportunity to see the summer constellations in the evening sky. The most prominent April constellations are the zodiacs of Gemini. Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius & Sagittarius as well as Bootes and the circumpolar constellations.

All constellations visible in April have been grouped into 4 timings so that you can find those relevant to you.

Early evening viewers (before 21:00)
Mid evening viewers (21:00 to 23:30)
Late evening viewers (after 23:30)
Early morning viewers

The constellations that pass directly overhead are in the sky for around 12 hours but those in the southern sky will have a shorter path and those in the northern sky a longer path with some constellations visible all the time such as Ursa Minor.

As the earth moves in its orbit around the sun, each night you are looking at a different portion of the sky. When looking at stars it is important to be aware of what is within your view. Northern hemisphere stargazers can group constellations into 3 groups; circumpolar, summer and winter constellations. The circumpolar constellations are in the north sky, appear to move around the north star and are visible throughout the year. The constellations in the south sky are only visible for part of the year and are grouped as either summer or winter constellations. Each is visible from between 4 to 10 months.

It is important to be aware of the specific time of year and hour of the night when deciding what to look for. These pages below show the constellations in each group so you can find the constellations that interest you.

CIRCUMPOLAR (year around) – Ursa Major – Cassiopeia – Ursa Minor – Draco – Cepheus

WINTER – Pegasus – Pisces – Aries – Auriga – Taurus – Orion – Canis Major – Canis Minor – Gemini – Lynx – Cancer – Leo – Winter Hexagon

SUMMER – Virgo – Libra – Scorpius – Bootes – Hercules – Lyra – Ophiuchus – Sagittarius – Aquila – Cygnus – Capricornus – Aquarius

Or use this guide to easily see when you can find each constellation:

BEST CONSTELLATIONS TO FIND EACH MONTH

January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December

What constellations can you find in April during early evening?

Early evening viewers before 21:00

April has some easy constellations to find for early evening viewers in the northern hemisphere. Start in the western sky where some of the best known winter constellations including Cassiopeia and Orion will only be visible for a short time after sunset. The eastern sky hosts Leo and the Sickle asterism. While in the northern sky the Big Dipper and northern star can be found. Canis Major with Sirius the brightest star in the night sky will be overhead

Importantly consider your viewing time and move to the appropriate range of constellations to see. Early evening (before 21:00), mid evening (21:00-23:30), late evening (after 23:30) or early morning.

Western Sky (season ending)

Auriga

Visit the Auriga page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible until 24:00 appearing 50degrees above the western horizon and lowering until partially visible at 24:00.

Difficulty to find: Medium – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Big Dipper

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 30 south – passes overhead for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early evening: January.

Canis Major

Visit the Canis Major page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible until 22:00 visible 35 degrees above the south west horizon at sunset. It will then lower towards the horizon until it begins to be only partially visible from 22:00.

Difficulty to find: Very Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Easy – Locating asterism: Orion’s Belt

Possible to be seen between latitude 60 north and 90 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early evening: March.

Cassiopeia

Visit the Cassiopeia page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible until 20:00 before rising again at 04:00 visible in the north west sky at sunset 15 degrees above horizon. It will rotate towards the horizon, dropping too low in the sky to observe after 20:00. It will return to 15 degrees above the north east horizon at 04:00, increasing to 25 degrees by sunrise.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Hard – Locating asterism: Big Dipper

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 20 south – passes in the northern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early evening: November to December.

Draco

Visit the Draco page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible from 20:00 to 04:00 visible 15 degrees above the northern horizon from 20:00. The constellation rotates anticlockwise around the north star. It reaches its peak 55 degrees above northern horizon at 04:00 before lowering to 50 degrees by sunrise.

Difficulty to find: Medium – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Big Dipper

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 20 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during mid evening: April.

Orion & Orion’s Belt

Visit the Orion page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible until 22:00 appearing 30 degrees above the south west horizon at sunset. It will then lower in the south west sky until it begins to be only partially visible from 22:00.

Difficulty to find: Very Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Easy – Locating asterism: Orion’s Belt

Possible to be seen between latitude 60 north and 90 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early evening: January to February.

Middle of sky (north, south and overhead)

Cancer

Visit the Cancer page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible until 01:30 75 degrees above the southern horizon at sunset at its peak. It will continue moving west until 01:30 when it will begin to be only partially visible on the western horizon.

Difficulty to find: Hard – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Gemini

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 50 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early evening: April.

Canis Minor

Visit the Canis Minor page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible until 01:00 60 degrees above the south western horizon at sunset. It will only be partially visible after 01:00.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Orion

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 70 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early evening: April.

Gemini

Visit the Gemini page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible until 01:00 appearing overhead at sunset, reaching its peak at 19:00 before becoming only partially visible from 01:00.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Orion’s belt

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 60 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early evening: March.

Ursa Major & The Big Dipper

Visit the Ursa Major page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible throughout the night visible 50 degrees above the horizon in the north east sky from 20:00. Reaches highest point at 23:00, 70 degrees above northern horizon. 20 degrees above north west horizon at 05:00 during sunrise.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Big Dipper

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 20 south – passes in the northern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early evening: April to June.

Ursa Minor & The north star

Visit the Ursa Minor page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible throughout the night remaining in the north sky equal to the distance above the horizon to the latitude of your viewing position.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Big Dipper or Cassiopeia

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 0 south – static in the northern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early evening: All year.

Eastern Sky (season starting)

Bootes & The Spring Triangle

Visit the Bootes page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible throughout the night 15 degrees above the eastern horizon at sunset, reaching its peak at 01:00, 80 degrees above the southern horizon. It will continue moving west until sunrise when it will be 30 degrees above the western horizon.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Very hard – Locating asterism: Big Dipper

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 50 south – passes overhead for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during mid evening: May.

Leo & The Sickle

Visit the Leo page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible until 02:30 60 degrees above the south eastern horizon at sunset, reaching its peak at 21:00 70 degrees above the southern horizon. It will continue moving west until 02:30 when it will begin to be only partially visible on the western horizon.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Easy – Locating asterism: Big Dipper or Sickle

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 60 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early evening: April.

Virgo

Visit the Virgo page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible from 20:00 appear on the eastern horizon at 20:00, reaching its peak at 24:30, 45 degrees above the southern horizon. It will continue moving west until 05:00 when it will begin to be only partially visible on the western horizon.

Difficulty to find: Hard – Difficulty to interpret: Very hard – Locating asterism: Bootes

Possible to be seen between latitude 80 north and 80 south – passes across the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early evening: June.

What constellations can you find in April during mid-evening?

Mid evening viewers from 21:00 to 23:30

April has some easy constellations to find for mid evening viewers in the northern hemisphere. Canis Major is present in the western sky and is home to Sirius the brightest star in the night sky. The southern sky hosts Leo and the Sickle asterism. While in the northern sky the Big Dipper and northern star can be found. The other Zodiac constellations present at this time are dim but Bootes and the Spring Triangle can be located.

Western Sky (season ending)

Auriga

Visit the Auriga page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible until 24:00 appearing 50degrees above the western horizon and lowering until partially visible at 24:00.

Difficulty to find: Medium – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Big Dipper

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 30 south – passes overhead for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during mid evening: December.

Canis Major

Visit the Canis Major page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible until 22:00 visible 35 degrees above the south west horizon at sunset. It will then lower towards the horizon until it begins to be only partially visible from 22:00.

Difficulty to find: Very Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Easy – Locating asterism: Orion’s Belt

Possible to be seen between latitude 60 north and 90 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during mid evening: February.

Gemini

Visit the Gemini page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible until 01:00 appearing overhead at sunset, reaching its peak at 19:00 before becoming only partially visible from 01:00.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Orion’s belt

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 60 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during mid evening: February.

Middle of sky (north, south and overhead)

Cancer

Visit the Cancer page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible until 01:30 75 degrees above the southern horizon at sunset at its peak. It will continue moving west until 01:30 when it will begin to be only partially visible on the western horizon.

Difficulty to find: Hard – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Gemini

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 50 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during mid evening: March.

Canis Minor

Visit the Canis Minor page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible until 01:00 60 degrees above the south western horizon at sunset. It will only be partially visible after 01:00.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Orion

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 70 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during mid evening: March.

Draco

Visit the Draco page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Medium – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Big Dipper

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 20 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during mid evening: April.

Leo & The Sickle

Visit the Leo page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Easy – Locating asterism: Big Dipper or Sickle

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 60 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during mid evening: March.

Ursa Major & The Big Dipper

Visit the Ursa Major page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Big Dipper

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 20 south – passes in the northern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during mid evening: March to May.

Ursa Minor & The north star

Visit the Ursa Minor page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible throughout the night remaining in the north sky equal to the distance above the horizon to the latitude of your viewing position.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Big Dipper or Cassiopeia

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 0 south – static in the northern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during id evening: All year.

Virgo

Visit the Virgo page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Hard – Difficulty to interpret: Very hard – Locating asterism: Bootes

Possible to be seen between latitude 80 north and 80 south – passes across the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during mid evening: May.

Eastern Sky (season starting)

Bootes & The Spring Triangle

Visit the Bootes page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Very hard – Locating asterism: Big Dipper

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 50 south – passes overhead for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during mid evening: May.

Libra

Visit the Libra page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible from 22:00 appearing on the south east horizon and reaching its peak at 02:00, 45 degrees above the southern horizon. It will continue moving west until sunrise when it will be 20 degrees above the south west horizon.

Difficulty to find: Hard – Difficulty to interpret: Hard – Locating asterism: Scorpius

Possible to be seen between latitude 60 north and 90 south – passes across the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during mid evening: June.

What constellations can you find in April during late evening?

Late evening viewers after 23:30

April has some easy constellations to find for late evening viewers in the northern hemisphere. The southern sky hosts Leo and the Sickle asterism. While in the northern sky the Big Dipper and northern star can be found. The other Zodiac constellations present at this time are dim but Bootes and the Spring Triangle can be located.

Western Sky (season ending)

Cancer

Visit the Cancer page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible until 01:30 75 degrees above the southern horizon at sunset at its peak. It will continue moving west until 01:30 when it will begin to be only partially visible on the western horizon.

Difficulty to find: Hard – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Gemini

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 50 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during late evening: January.

Canis Minor

Visit the Canis Minor page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible until 01:00 60 degrees above the south western horizon at sunset. It will only be partially visible after 01:00.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Orion

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 70 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during late evening: January.

Gemini

Visit the Gemini page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible until 01:00 appearing overhead at sunset, reaching its peak at 19:00 before becoming only partially visible from 01:00.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Orion’s belt

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 60 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during late evening: January.

Leo & The Sickle

Visit the Leo page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Easy – Locating asterism: Big Dipper or Sickle

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 60 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during late evening: February.

Middle of sky (north, south and overhead)

Bootes & The Spring Triangle

Visit the Bootes page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Very hard – Locating asterism: Big Dipper

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 50 south – passes overhead for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during late evening: April.

Cepheus

Visit the Cepheus page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible after 24:00 in the evening sky the constellation will be very low on the horizon and difficult to observe. It will return to 15 degrees above the north east horizon at 24:00, increasing to 50 degrees by sunrise.

Difficulty to find: Medium – Difficulty to interpret: Hard – Locating asterism: Cassiopeia

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 10 south – passes in the northern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during late evening: July to August.

Draco

Visit the Draco page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Medium – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Big Dipper

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 20 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during late evening: March.

Ursa Major & The Big Dipper

Visit the Ursa Major page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Big Dipper

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 20 south – passes in the northern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during late evening: January to April.

Ursa Minor & The north star

Visit the Ursa Minor page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible throughout the night remaining in the north sky equal to the distance above the horizon to the latitude of your viewing position.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Big Dipper or Cassiopeia

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 0 south – static in the northern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during late evening: All year.

Virgo

Visit the Virgo page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Hard – Difficulty to interpret: Very hard – Locating asterism: Bootes

Possible to be seen between latitude 80 north and 80 south – passes across the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during late evening: April.

Libra

Visit the Libra page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Hard – Difficulty to interpret: Hard – Locating asterism: Scorpius

Possible to be seen between latitude 60 north and 90 south – passes across the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during late evening: May.

Eastern Sky (season starting)

Scorpius

Visit the Scorpius page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible from 24:00 appear on the south east horizon at 24:00, reaching its peak at 03:30, 30 degrees above the southern horizon. It will continue moving west until sunrise when it will be 25 degrees above the south west horizon.

Difficulty to find: Very Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Very Easy – Locating asterism: Teapot

Possible to be seen between latitude 45 north and 90 south – crossing the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during late evening: June.

silhouette of tourists enjoying stars in Wadi Rum on warm desert night

Which constellations can you find in April during early morning?

Early morning viewers

April has some easy constellations to find for early morning viewers in the northern hemisphere. The milky way will be visible in the eastern sky. The southern sky hosts Sagittarius and the teapot asterism. Scorpius has 14 of the 200 brightest stars including the prominent red star of Antares. While in the northern sky the Big Dipper and northern star can be found.

Western Sky (season ending)

Bootes & The Spring Triangle

Visit the Bootes page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Very hard – Locating asterism: Big Dipper

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 50 south – passes overhead for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early morning: December.

Virgo

Visit the Virgo page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Hard – Difficulty to interpret: Very hard – Locating asterism: Bootes

Possible to be seen between latitude 80 north and 80 south – passes across the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early morning: January.

Middle of sky (north, south and overhead)

Cassiopeia

Visit the Cassiopeia page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Hard – Locating asterism: Big Dipper

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 20 south – passes in the northern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early morning: July to August.

Cepheus

Visit the Cepheus page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Medium – Difficulty to interpret: Hard – Locating asterism: Cassiopeia

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 10 south – passes in the northern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early morning: May to June.

Draco

Visit the Draco page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Medium – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Big Dipper

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 20 south – passes in the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early morning: January.

Libra

Visit the Libra page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Hard – Difficulty to interpret: Hard – Locating asterism: Scorpius

Possible to be seen between latitude 60 north and 90 south – passes across the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early morning: February.

Scorpius

Visit the Scorpius page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Very Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Very Easy – Locating asterism: Teapot

Possible to be seen between latitude 45 north and 90 south – crossing the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early morning: March.

Ursa Major & The Big Dipper

Visit the Ursa Major page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Big Dipper

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 20 south – passes in the northern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early morning: December to January.

Ursa Minor & The north star

Visit the Ursa Minor page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible throughout the night remaining in the north sky equal to the distance above the horizon to the latitude of your viewing position.

Difficulty to find: Easy – Difficulty to interpret: Medium – Locating asterism: Big Dipper or Cassiopeia

Possible to be seen between latitude 90 north and 0 south – static in the northern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early morning: All year.

Eastern Sky (season starting)

Sagittarius

Visit the Sagittarius page for instructions on how to find, mythology, stars, nearby constellations and general information.

Visible from 02:00 appearing on the south east horizon at 02:00. It will reach 30 degrees above the southern horizon by sunrise.

Difficulty to find: Medium – Difficulty to interpret: Hard – Locating asterism: Milky Way

Possible to be seen between latitude 45 north and 90 south – crossing the southern sky for northern hemisphere viewers – Best month to see high in sky during early morning: April.

Arabian Nights » Stars » Which constellations are easy to find? » April