The Intertropical Convergence zone is following the Sun northward, taking the rains with it. Some areas had lots of rain, others less. But for all of us there should now be more clear skies and more opportunities to see the stars.
Full Moon will be on 2 April – the Diamond Moon. It is the first full moon after the March Equinox. Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Equinox. Hence Easter Sunday is on 5 April. Enjoy your hot cross buns and Easter eggs! Hold thumbs for the Artemis crew who should be on their way to fly around the Moon – the first humans to go that far from the home planet in more than 50 years.
Venus is getting higher in the West after sunset and is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon. At the start of the month Jupiter transits soon after sunset and sets just before midnight. By the end of the month, it sets before 10 pm. It is a brilliant object below Orion. The two prominent stars below Jupiter are Cator and Pollux, the twins of the constellation Gemini. Mercury reaches its highest before dawn in the morning on 3 April. By month end it will have descended into the Sun’s glare. Mars is steadily getting higher before dawn, followed by Saturn.
There is a new comet called C/2026 A1 (MAPS). MAPS is from the initials of the four people who discovered it on telescope images. MAPS is a sungrazer in the same family as the great comet of 1965 – Ikeya-Seki. It will probably be destroyed in its very close passage past the Sun on 4 April. If it survives then it may become a naked eye object after 6 April when it is closest to Earth. Look for it in the West after sunset. Some models suggest that MAPS might be visible in daylight before sunset. If this happens it will be close to the Sun in the sky and it will be very dangerous to try to see it. The Sun may damage your eyes if you look at it with your naked eye. If you look at the Sun through binoculars it will instantly and permanently blind you. If there is news that the comet is visible before sunset and if you want you try to look for it MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS A TREE OR OTHER OBJECT BLOCKING THE SUN.
The Astronomical Society of Harare will hold its next meeting on Saturday 11 April at 2:30 for 3:00 pm in the gazebo at Mukuvisi Woodland. There will be tea followed by presentations on astronomical topics. All are welcome – the presentations are intended for people with no astronomical knowledge. Mukuvisi charges a $2 entry fee.
Keep looking up!
Peter Morris, Astronomical Society of Harare
1 April 2026