If you see one planet this month, make it Jupiter, as the gas giant's window for observing is closing in April 2025.
Jupiter is catching up with the Sun in the evening sky and, by the end of April 2025, it will be setting shortly after the Sun in the west, low down in the horizon by the time it gets truly dark.
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Mars continues to be a great planet to observe in April 2025, the Red Planet located in Gemini and still nice and high under dark conditions.
Below we'll take a look at what each of the planets is doing in April 2025.
The phase and relative sizes of the planets in April 2025. Each planet is shown with south at the top, to show its orientation through a telescope.
The phase and relative sizes of the planets in April 2025. Each planet is shown with south at the top, to show its orientation through a telescope.
Mercury
Mercury is a morning planet in April 2025, reaching an impressive greatest western elongation, separated from the Sun by 27.4° on 21 April.
Despite this, the planet’s position is not good from the UK and consequently it’s unlikely to be visible this month.
Venus
Best time to see: 30 April, 30 minutes before sunrise
Altitude: 6° (low)
Location: Pisces
Direction: East
Along with several other planets, Venus can be found in the morning sky this month. On 1 April, Venus rises at 05:40 BST (04:40 UT), some 70 minutes before the Sun. It’s a bright object shining at mag. –4.1 and, having passed inferior conjunction last month, remains large with a small phase.
On 1 April, through the eyepiece of a telescope Venus appears 56 arcseconds across and 3% lit, a beautifully slender crescent. By the end of the month, having brightened to mag. –4.4, Venus appears 36 arcseconds across with a phase of 28%.
On the morning of 25 April, a 10%-lit waning crescent Moon sits inside the small triangle formed by Venus, Saturn and Neptune, the Moon 3.2° southeast of Venus.
Mars
Best time to see: 1 April, 21:10 BST (20:10 UT)
Altitude: 59°
Location: Gemini
Direction: South
Mars is the best-placed planet this month, remaining at a decent altitude in dark skies throughout April.
This is not to say it’s ideally placed though, because at the end of the month, it loses altitude to the expanding evening twilight.
On 1 April, mag. +0.5 Mars appears 59° above the southern horizon at 21:10 BST (20:10 UT), an ideal position for observation. Now distancing itself from Earth, the planet is only 8 arcseconds across at this time, so good, steady seeing is required to see any serious detail. On 5 April, at 21:10 BST (20:10 UT), Mars is 1.6° south of the 57%-lit waxing gibbous Moon.
By the end of the month, twilight makes its presence felt but despite a noticeable rush to the east into Cancer and towards the Beehive Cluster, M44, Mars remains 40° up above the west-southwest horizon as darkness is falling.
Jupiter
Best time to see: 1 April, 21:00 BST (20:00 UT)
Altitude: 40°
Location: Taurus
Direction: West-southwest
Features: Complex atmosphere, satellites
Recommended equipment: 75mm or larger
For key dates, read our guide to observing Jupiter in April 2025.
Saturn
Best time to see: 30 April, 05:00 BST (04:00 UT)
Altitude: 2° (extremely low)
Location: Pisces
Direction: East
Saturn is a mag. +0.8 morning planet but extremely hard to see due to its low altitude in bright twilight. On 23 April, it sits 4.5° south-southeast of Venus.
Uranus
Best time to see: 1 April, 21:45 BST (20:45 UT)
Altitude: 17°
Location: Taurus
Direction: West
Mag. +5.8 Uranus is an evening planet losing the battle with the evening twilight this month. It’s lost from view in the second half of April.
Neptune
Not visible this month.
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