ORLANDO, Fla – April showers bring May flowers, but the spring months this year will also be treating us to a couple of celestial events.
Both events worth noting are planetary conjunctions. Conjunctions happen when two objects from our perspective get very close to each other in the night sky. You may remember the Great Conjunction, also dubbed the Christmas Star, from back in 2020 when Jupiter and Saturn were nearly touching in our evening sky.
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While the conjunction coming up in early April between Saturn and Mars isn’t “great,” it will be a sight to see!
The two planets will be at their closest to one another before sunrise on April 4 and again on April 5. Saturn will be the slightly brighter of the two while Mars will have its iconic red hue. Mars and Saturn will flip positions in the night sky April 5. Look in the southeast sky.
You can view this with the naked eye, but binoculars or a telescope will enhance the viewing experience.
Two other planets will form a different conjunction later in the month.
Jupiter and Venus will appear to nearly merge from our perspective. Look for this show about an hour before sunrise on the mornings of April 30 and May 1 in the eastern sky.
In May, things arguably get even better with a total lunar eclipse. The last total lunar eclipse in Central Florida was January 2019. For when to view not one but two total lunar eclipses, click here.