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This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report through April 11, 2018. Here’s what’s happening in the skies of southern California.

The planet Venus is so bright that it can be seen in the western sky even a little before sunset. Its silvery gleam is eye-catching from shortly after sunset until Venus itself sets at about 9:00 p.m.

The second brightest planet, Jupiter, in the constellation Libra the Scales, is easy to spot above the southeast horizon by 11:00 p.m. Earth’s rotation makes Jupiter arc slowly upward and to the right, placing it due south at about 3:00 a.m. It continues arcing to the right, but also downward, until by dawn it is over the southwest horizon. Binoculars can let you glimpse Jupiter’s four largest moons, showing them as tiny specks of light clumped around the brilliant planet. A more powerful telescope will let you see the banded structure of Jupiter’s clouds, as well as Jupiter’s large oval storm, the Great Red Spot. Jupiter rotates completely on its axis in less than ten hours, so the Great Red Spot is sometimes on the wrong side of the planet to be seen. It will, however, be on the side of Jupiter facing Los Angeles at 3 a.m. on the 6th, 8th, and 10th.

At 3:00 a.m., when Jupiter is at its highest in the south, golden Saturn and orange Mars are also visible, close together above the southeast horizon. As the hours pass, they follow the same arcing path as Jupiter, and arrive at the meridian in the south before sunrise. Mars and Saturn now share the starry backdrop of the constellation Sagittarius the Archer. On the 5th, Mars is only two degrees to the lower left of Saturn. On following mornings, it is farther to Saturn’s left, until by the 11th, the angular separation between the pair has increased to nearly five degrees.

Saturn’s rings are stunningly beautiful and are surprisingly easy to see through nearly any telescope. The markings on Mars are much harder to see, especially since the planet is still more than twice as far away–and therefore less than half as large in appearance–as it will be when we swing relatively close to it at the end of July. Telescopes of at least 8-inches diameter, however, may reveal some of the bright, wispy clouds of Mars and the grey rock outcrops that stand out against the dustier regions of the butterscotch-hued Martian deserts.

The waning moon quickly exits the evening sky and is only visible during the morning after the 4th. It rises at 11:35 p.m. on the 4th and at 4:09 a.m. on the 11th. Its phase changes from gibbous to last quarter on the 8th, and it is crescent on the following mornings. The moon appears close to Mars and Saturn on the morning of the 7th.

Free views of the Sun during the day and of the moon, planets, and other interesting celestial objects at night are available to the public in clear weather through Griffith Observatory’s telescopes from Tuesday through Sunday, before 9:30 p.m. Check our website for the schedule. The next free public star party on the grounds of Griffith Observatory, hosted by the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, the Sidewalk Astronomers, and the Planetary Society, will take place on Saturday, April 21st.

Follow the Sky Report on Twitter for updates of astronomy and space-related events.

From Griffith Observatory, I’m Anthony Cook, and I can be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com.