Today:
Orion is now very low in the western skies, by the end of twilight, his feet along the horizon by 9:00 PM, with his belt only visible with a perfect view to the west and southwest. Orion’s stars are among the brightest in the sky because they are relatively close by. Our Sun is among millions in a minor band of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy called the Orion Spur.
Monday:
The northwestern skies in the evenings are home to Capella, the Goat Star. In mythology this is the nurse goat for the great Jupiter, and was rewarded with a place in the heavens. It shines brightly, one third of the way up from the horizon in the west-northwest at 9:15 PM, well to the right of the Twin Stars in Gemini.
Tuesday:
April ends with a challenging farewell to Jupiter, dominating the evening skies through the winter, but now fading into the sunset, literally. You’ll have to find a low, level view to the west-northwest, and scan the horizon for a bright, subdued point of light, from about 8:15 to 8:30 PM. Jupiter takes some time off through mid-June, when it returns to the morning skies.