Astro Guide: April

Welcome once again to our guide for Astrophotographers what dates to keep an eye on this April! This month is nowhere near as eventful as March, with both a full moon eclipse and partial solar eclipse, but there are still some great opportunities for some stellar shots.

As before this isn't a definitive guide on Astrophotography, however we do have a crash course on what you need for different shots here, but today we are just giving you an brief overview of stargazing events here in Australia.

April 3rd: Moon and Jupiter

On the 3rd of April Moon and Jupiter will be close together in the sky, Jupiter is one of the easiest planets to see thanks to it's huge size, but we would still suggest getting a strong telephoto as Jupiter is still significantly smaller than the moon.

April 13th: Full Moon

While a regular occurence, it is still an excellent opportunity for well light starscapes, or close up shots of the moon's cratered surface.

April 22nd & 23rd: Lyrid & Puppid Meteor Shower

We actually have two nights of Meteor showers in a row towards the end of April. Catching a shooting meteor or shooting star is all about patience, wide angles, and long exposures. The static stars won't move in the night sky, but the meteors show up as long streaks; the wide angle is essential as the exact path and location of a meteor in the night sky is incredibly difficult to predict.

Conclusion

A relatively quiet month for stargazers but with a few dates still presents plenty of opportunities to crack out your photography gear, or even just go stargazing. Regardless if you do decide to check out these whether in your backyard, or making a trip to dark sky park, make sure to take advantage with some wide angle lenses and a sturdy tripod for some stunning starscape shots.