Bootleg Astronomers

The Bootleg Star Party Registration Form is available HERE (pre-registration deadline is Saturday, April 25th, 2026)

*** Due to the number of people doing imaging at the Bootleg Star Parties, Bootleg Management is indicating that Green Lasers will not be permitted starting one hour after sunset ***

1	Full Moon at 17:24 UT.
4	Moon near Antares at 1h UT (morning sky). Occultation visible from Antarctica, Argentina, Chile and Bolivia. • Lunar occultation of Antares (In-the-Sky)
4	Moon at apogee (farthest from Earth) at 22h UT (distance 405,839km; angular size 29.4').
6	Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks. Most active for 7 days around this date. Associated with Comet Halley. Very fast, bright meteors, up to 50 per hour. Best seen from the tropics and southern hemisphere a few hours before dawn. In 2026 a waning gibbous Moon will adversely affect the visibility of this shower. • Eta Aquariids (Wikipedia) • AMS Meteor Shower Calendar 2026-2027 (IMO)
9	Last Quarter Moon at 21:13 UT.
13	Moon near Saturn at 18h UT (morning sky). Mag. 0.9.
14	Mercury at superior conjunction with the Sun at 14h UT (not visible). The innermost planet passes into the evening sky.
14	Moon near Mars at 22h UT (27° from Sun, morning sky). Mag. 1.2.
16	New Moon at 20:02 UT. Start of lunation 1279.
17	Moon at perigee (closest to Earth) at 13:45 UT (distance 358,075km; angular size 33.4').
19	Moon near Venus at 3h UT (evening sky). Mag. −4.0.
19	Moon, Venus and M35 within 3.7° circle at 5h UT (33° from Sun, evening sky). Mag. −4.0.
19	Moon near M35 Cluster at 7h UT (evening sky).
20	Moon near Castor at 11h UT (evening sky).
20	Moon near Jupiter at 15h UT (evening sky). Mag. −1.9.
20	Moon near Pollux at 16h UT (evening sky).
21	Venus 0.76° N of M35 cluster at 1h UT (evening sky).
21	Moon near Beehive Cluster (M44) at 17h UT (evening sky).
21	Venus at northernmost declination (25.1°) at 18h UT.
22	Uranus at conjunction with the Sun at 14h UT. Uranus passes into the morning sky.
23	Moon near Regulus at 5h UT (evening sky). Occultation visible from parts of Oceania. • Lunar occultation of Regulus (In-the-Sky)
23	First Quarter Moon at 11:11 UT.
27	Moon near Spica at 14h UT (evening sky).
31	Moon near Antares at 7h UT (midnight sky). Occultation visible from Chile, Argentina, eastern Australia and New Zealand. • Lunar occultation of Antares (In-the-Sky)
31	Full Moon at 8:46 UT. A "Blue Moon" − the second Full Moon in a month. • Blue Moon (Wikipedia)

>>> All times Universal Time (UT). USA Central Standard Time = UT-6 hours. (DST = UT-5 hrs,)

Zodiacal Light is caused by sunlight reflected off meteoric dust in the plane of the solar system. Choose a clear, moonless night, about 1-2 hours after sunset, and look for a large triangular-shaped glow extending up from the horizon (along the ecliptic). The best months to view the Zodiacal Light is when the ecliptic is almost vertical at the horizon: March and April (evening) and October-November (morning); times reversed for the southern hemisphere.
• Zodiacal Light (Wikipedia)
• Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD)
• Photographing the Zodiacal Light (Weatherscapes)