If you managed to see the seven-planet parade – or even one or two of the visible planets in the night sky – at the end of February, you may be itching to get back outside and see what else is 'up' this week.
Here we'll look at the easiest, most impressive stargazing events that can be seen with the naked eye, and how to see them.
Get more stargazing advice every week by listening to our Star Diary podcast, subscribing to our YouTube channel and signing up to our e-newsletter.
Complete newcomer? Read our beginner's guide to astronomy
In our guide we'll refer to magnitude (mag.) and degrees (°). These are handy stargazing terms to know.
Magnitude is the word in astronomy used to describe how bright something appears, and degrees are used to measure the apparent distance between objects in the sky.
1° is about the width of a finger held out at arm's length.
Night sky this week, 31 March–6 April
This is another week during which the best things to see with the naked eye are the Moon having close encounters with some of the brightest objects visible in the night sky.
On Tuesday 1 April, the Moon passes in front of the Pleiades.
This event will see the Moon 'occult' the open star cluster known as the Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters.
You'll find the Moon and the Pleiades in the western sky around 21:00 BST, and over the course of the following two or three hours, you'll be able to watch the Moon pass back in front of the star cluster.
The Moon is a crescent at the moment and not too bright, meaning you should be able to see the Pleiades stars with the naked eye.
On Wednesday 2 April, the Moon is close to Jupiter. See them both in the western sky around 21:00 BST.
Jupiter will be to the left of the Moon, and the two will stick together as they set below the northwestern horizon in the early hours of 3 April.
On the evening of Thursday 3 April, see if you can spot asteroid Vesta through binoculars.
It's visible near star Zubeneschamali in Libra. If you can spot Vesta, you're looking at part of the Asteroid Belt!
Vesta reaches opposition on 2 May 2025, when it will be in northern Libra and could well be visible with the naked eye if you can get away from light pollution.
Spot it now then observe it over the coming weeks, then see if you can find it with the naked eye on 2 May.
On Friday 4 April, see if you can observe the summer Milky Way above the southeastern horizon before dawn breaks.
On Saturday 5 April, the Moon is very closer to Mars. You can see the Red Planet below the Moon, both of them in the southwestern sky around 21:00 BST.
Thanks to Mary McIntyre for providing the dates and timings for these stargazing events.
Share your stargazing images and adventures with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
