The Planets

Look up high at sunset and find Saturn and Mars at about the same height above the horizon, Saturn to the SE and Mars to the SW.
Jupiter is the only bright planet readily apparent in the pre-dawn sky this month. To find it, look fairly low in the south.

The Moon

New Moon: April 6
First Quarter : April 12
Full Moon: April 20
Last Quarter: April 28

Constellation of the Month: Ursa Major the Bear

Ursa Major is better know by the seven stars inside it that form the Big Dipper. Ursa Major is Latin for "the larger bear" (there is also Ursa Minor, "the smaller bear").

Most of the legends about Ursa Major have to explain why the sky figure has a long tail, since real bears have stubby tails. The Greek legend tells that Ursa Major was really a nymph named Kallisto. Zeus fell in love with Kallisto, but unfortunately Hera, Zeus's wife, found out. Hera turned Kallisto into a bear and set her up to be killed by her own son, who was a hunter.

Just before the arrow could kill Kallisto, Zeus grabed her by the tail and flung her up into the sky. Being a heavy bear, her tail got stretched out.

How to find Ursa Major: Face north. At this time of year in the evening Ursa Major appears upside down, but the seven stars of the dipper are easy to spot.

Events

• April 11: Mars is below and left of the moon. 3 degrees separation.
• April 14: Saturn is below and left of the moon.
• April 15: Saturn is above and right of the moon.