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This is the Griffith Observatory Sky Report through April 30th, 2020. Here’s what’s happening in the skies of southern California.

The planet Venus blazes with its greatest brilliance this year in the evening on the 27th. The silvery planet can’t be missed as it is the most eye-catching object gleaming from high in the western sky after sunset, and it is so bright that it can even be seen well before sunset. In fact, Venus is so bright it can be seen in the daytime, but the challenge is in being able to focus your eye on such a tiny dot in the bright blue sky. On Sunday the 26th, the moon will be near Venus in the sky, and it can be used as an aid in finding Venus. It gives a hint as to where to look and to give your eye something to focus on. Between 4:30 p.m. and sunset, at 7:34 p.m., Venus will appear seven degrees to the right of the moon. For comparison, your clenched fist at arm’s length covers ten degrees. Use binoculars or a telescope to see the crescent phase of Venus. Venus sets in the west-northwest at about 11:00 p.m.

Night by night, the moon becomes increasingly bright in the evening sky. Its phase is waxing crescent until it becomes first quarter on the 30th. Besides appearing near Venus on the 26th, the moon also passes by several bright stars, including Aldebaran, in Taurus the Bull on the 25th, Castor and Pollux in Gemini the Twins on the 28th, and it is between Pollux and Leo the Lion’s brightest star, Regulus, on the 30th. The time of moonset changes from 8:16 p.m. on the 23rd to 1:50 a.m. on the 30th.

The three bright outer planets, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, appear in line across the southeast sky in the early morning. They are best seen from 4:00 a.m. to about 5:30 a.m., at which time the increasing brightness of dawn makes them harder to see. Jupiter is the brightest of the trio. It is located in the easternmost part of the constellation Sagittarius the Archer, and it is to the upper right of the golden planet Saturn. Saturn is in the adjacent constellation Capricornus the Sea-Goat. Orange planet Mars is in line with Jupiter and Saturn, and to their lower left by an amount that increases morning by morning.

The International Space Station will appear nearly three times brighter than Jupiter as it passes over Los Angeles on two consecutive mornings, on the 25th and 26th. At dawn on Saturday the 25th, the ISS will cross the sky from the west-southwest horizon to the northeast horizon between 5:34 and 5:42 a.m., and it will be 60 degrees above the northwest horizon at 5:37 a.m. On the next morning, Sunday the 26th, the ISS will suddenly appear already 35 degrees above the south-southwest horizon at 4:48 a.m. as it moves into sunshine from behind the Earth’s shadow. It will move up to 70 degrees above the southeast horizon at 4:50 a.m., and at 5:53 a.m., the ISS nears the northeast horizon.

Because of measures in place that are intended to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 Corona virus, Griffith Observatory and its grounds are closed until further notice. Consequently, all public telescopes are closed, and all public events have been cancelled. Please check the Griffith Observatory homepage for current information and continued updates.

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From my domestic extension of Griffith Observatory, I’m Anthony Cook, and I can still be reached at griffithobserver@gmail.com.