Look Up: Celestial Sights Montanans Can Enjoy in April

Montanans are fortunate to have dark skies at night.

Drive 30 minutes in any direction from our cities and towns, and you'll notice just how incredibly big the nighttime Big Sky is. Once you escape urban light pollution, you'll notice far more stars and visible planets than you will from your backyard in suburbia. Below are three things skygazers will be checking out this month.

Read More: Turn Your Eyes To The Sky: Montana's Astronomy Events in 2025

The Pink Moon (spoiler alert: it won't appear pink) April 12

April brings several special celestial sights, starting with the Pink Moon on Saturday, April 12. This Full Moon gets its pastel-inspired name because the pink phlox flower is typically the earliest to bloom in North America, usually around this time of year. Montana has several varieties of phlox, some of which can be pink.

The Lyrid Meteor Shower Peaks April 21-22

The Lyrid meteor shower comes from debris from Comet Thatcher, which was first observed by modern-day astronomers in 1861. Typically, this meteor shower produces 10 - 15 "falling stars" per hour, but it's known for surges that can deliver up to 100 per hour!

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A Smile in the Sky on April 25

A sliver of the moon will create the "lips" and Venus and Saturn will be the eyes, when all three of them line up just right on April 25 to create a captivating "smile" in the sky. This will be visible about 30 minutes before sunrise; look up around 5:40 AM.

Visit Montana's Dark Sky places.

The Treasure State is home to two designated Dark Sky Sancturaries, Medicine Rocks State Park near Ekalaka and Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge near Kalispell. Of course, you don't have to go to these places for optimal night-sky viewing. Find a quiet country road, park safely, let your eyes adjust, and enjoy the sights in the nighttime Big Sky.