The Doctor of Sciences spoke about the astronomical phenomena expected in April.

In April 2026, it will be possible to observe several astronomical phenomena at once, including the appearance on April 15 of the rare comet C/2025 R3 PANSTARRS and the peak of the Lyrida meteor shower. Honorary Doctor of Sciences, lecturer Sergey Chumakov told Izvestia on April 13 about what other events could be observed in the sky and how favorable the conditions would be for this.

According to Chumakov, comet C/2025 R3 (PANSTARRS), discovered in September last year, belongs to the long-period. This means that it returns to the Sun once every hundreds or even thousands of years, and its current appearance may not happen again in the near future.

At the same time, as the expert noted, forecasts for the brightness of the object remain restrained. It is assumed that its brilliance can be comparable to the stars of the Ursa Major Dipper, but as it approaches the Sun, it will become more difficult to observe the comet. As early as the second half of April, it may disappear against the background of the evening dawn, and in urban conditions it will be difficult to see it without optical devices.

"The peak of the Lyrida meteor shower is also coming in April: on April 22, after 22:00, up to 18 meteors per hour can be seen in the sky, lighting up in the northeast," he said.

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The expert noted that most meteors will not be bright, and the interval between their appearance will be on average 5-10 minutes. It will take patience and a long time to observe, and you should not expect a spectacular "star shower".

In addition, on April 19, the Moon will pass next to Venus. According to Chumakov, it is better to observe this phenomenon immediately after sunset — the celestial bodies will be located low above the horizon in the northwest. Among other astronomical phenomena, the expert highlighted the convergence of Jupiter and the waxing Moon on April 22, which can be seen shortly after sunset in the western sky.

On April 10, the Laboratory of Solar Astronomy at the IKI RAS reported that the geomagnetic situation is expected to deteriorate in the next few days due to a coronal hole in the Sun. It is noted that a medium-sized coronal hole is currently being fixed on the Sun. According to scientists, the signs of its impact on the planet will begin between 6:00 and 9:00 Moscow time.

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