ISO 2026-W18
Week begins: Monday, April 27, 2026
Calendar
| Date | Zodiac day | Events |
|---|---|---|
| Mon, Apr 27, 2026 | ♉ 8 | Finest NGC 57 / NGC 3607 · MCG 3-29-20 —  11 10.9 — Tropical SpringM65 — 9 9.3 — Tropical Spring |
| Tue, Apr 28, 2026 | ♉ 9 | C40 / NGC 3626 — 11 10.9 — Tropical SpringM66 — 9 8.9 — Tropical SpringFinest NGC 58 / NGC 3628 · Arp 317 — 10 10.0 — Tropical Spring |
| Wed, Apr 29, 2026 | ♉ 10 | |
| Thu, Apr 30, 2026 | ♉ 11 | |
| Fri, May 1, 2026 | ♉ 12 | 🌕 Full Moon · Milk Moon — 17:23:11 UTC |
| Sat, May 2, 2026 | ♉ 13 | C97 / NGC 3766 — 5 5.3 — Southern SpringC100 / IC 2944 · Lambda Centauri Cluster — 5 4.5 — Southern Spring |
| Sun, May 3, 2026 | ♉ 14 |
Weekly Solar-System Ephemeris
Snapshot: Week begins April 27, 2026, 00:00 UTC.
(-90° to +90°; defaults +45°, 21:00 LAT)
| Body | ☉︎ | ☽︎ | ☿︎ | ♀︎ | ♂︎ | ♃︎ | ♄︎ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecliptic | ♉︎ 6°45′ β −0°00′ | ♍︎ 12°26′ β −0°27′ | ♈︎ 18°44′ β −2°18′ | ♊︎ 3°26′ β +0°43′ | ♈︎ 13°18′ β −0°55′ | ♋︎ 18°22′ β +0°23′ | ♈︎ 8°41′ β −2°10′ |
| Observing |  |  -11.3 | ☉︎ | -3.9 | 1.2 | -2.0 | 0.9 |
| Rise | 04:59 | 14:07 | 04:31 | 06:11 | 04:12 | 09:20 | 04:09 |
| Set | 19:01 | 03:07 | 17:19 | 21:24 | 16:53 | 00:44 | 16:26 |
Extended targets:
| Body | ⚳︎ | ♅︎ | ♆︎ | ♇︎ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecliptic | ♉︎ 16°54′ β −3°57′ | ♊︎ 0°03′ β −0°10′ | ♈︎ 3°08′ β −1°19′ | ♒︎ 5°29′ β −4°02′ |
| Observing | ☉︎ |  5.8 | 7.8 | 14.6 |
| Rise | 05:48 | 06:05 | 03:53 | 01:54 |
| Set | 19:41 | 21:03 | 15:59 | 10:42 |
β = ecliptic latitude (+ north, − south).
Rise and set are Local Apparent Time for the selected latitude.
Naked-eye observing uses the Sun’s altitude at the selected Monday observer time: Daylight (Sun ≥ −0.833°), Civil twilight (−0.833° to −6°), Nautical twilight (−6° to −12°), Astronomical twilight (−12° to −18°), and Night (below −18°).
Solar Glare identifies a body too close to the Sun when the sky-state rule does not already supersede its naked-eye classification.
The Sun’s observing status uses this same five-state sky classification.
Planet Finder
Sky Notes
Kilroy: Sky Notes · generated 2026-10-12 04:55:29 UTC
ISO 2026-W18 runs from April 27 through May 3. Venus and Uranus are separated by about 3.4° in geocentric ecliptic longitude at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot.
Naked eye: 🌕 Full Moon · Milk Moon — 17:23:11 UTC. Bright moonlight favors prominent stars and planets while reducing contrast on faint deep-sky objects. No fixed-sky Calendar object is classified for naked-eye observing this week.
Planets: Moon: Naked eye; magnitude -11.3; direct motion; 79.2% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Opposition in ecliptic longitude May 01 17:23 UTC. Mercury: In solar glare; magnitude -0.5; direct motion; 81.0% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Venus: Naked eye; magnitude -3.9; direct motion; 88.9% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Mars: Naked eye; magnitude 1.2; direct motion; 97.9% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Ceres: In solar glare; magnitude 8.8; direct motion; 99.9% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Jupiter: Naked eye; magnitude -2.0; direct motion; 99.2% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Saturn: Naked eye; magnitude 0.9; direct motion; 99.9% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Uranus: Binoculars; magnitude 5.8; direct motion; 100.0% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Neptune: Telescope; magnitude 7.8; direct motion; 100.0% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Pluto: Substantial telescope; magnitude 14.6; direct motion; 100.0% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot.
Binoculars: No fixed-sky Calendar object is classified for binocular observing this week.
Small telescope: MCG 3-29-20: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M65: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; NGC 3626: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; M66: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; Arp 317: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; NGC 3766: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance; Lambda Centauri Cluster: consult its dedicated finder and observing story for equipment guidance
Substantial telescope: No fixed-sky Calendar object is classified as requiring a substantial telescope this week.
Other objects listed this week: None
Mercury
Mercury: in solar glare at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Rises 04:31; sets 17:19 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude -0.5. The disk is 81.0% illuminated (gibbous). It is 18.2° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is direct at 1.750° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Alrescha, 12.9° away. Mercury: 12.9° from Alrescha in the Pathfinder.
Venus
Venus: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 3.1° above the horizon. Rises 06:11; sets 21:24 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude -3.9. The disk is 88.9% illuminated (gibbous). It is 26.7° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is direct at 1.214° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Aldebaran, 9.1° away. Uranus is 3.5° away at the snapshot. Venus: 9.1° from Aldebaran in the Pathfinder.
Moon
Moon: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 51.3° above the horizon. Rises 14:07; sets 03:07 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude -11.3. The disk is 79.2% illuminated (waxing gibbous). It is 125.7° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is direct at 12.903° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Regulus, 12.3° away. Opposition in ecliptic longitude May 01 17:23 UTC. Moon: 12.3° from Regulus in the Pathfinder.
Mars
Mars: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 36.6° below the horizon. Rises 04:12; sets 16:53 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 1.2. The disk is 97.9% illuminated (gibbous). It is 23.5° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is direct at 0.769° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Alrescha, 18.3° away. Saturn is 4.8° away at the snapshot. Mars: 18.3° from Alrescha in the Pathfinder.
Jupiter
Jupiter: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 37.1° above the horizon. Rises 09:20; sets 00:44 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude -2.0. The disk is 99.2% illuminated (nearly full). It is 71.6° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is direct at 0.131° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Pollux, 8.2° away. Jupiter: 8.2° from Pollux in the Pathfinder.
Saturn
Saturn: naked eye at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 40.6° below the horizon. Rises 04:09; sets 16:26 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 0.9. The disk is 99.9% illuminated (nearly full). It is 28.1° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is direct at 0.115° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Diphda, 19.4° away. Mars is 4.8° away at the snapshot. Saturn: 19.4° from Diphda in the Pathfinder.
Uranus
Uranus: binoculars at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 0.2° below the horizon. Rises 06:05; sets 21:03 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 5.8. The disk is 100.0% illuminated (nearly full). It is 23.3° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is direct at 0.055° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Aldebaran, 11.4° away. Venus is 3.5° away at the snapshot. Uranus: 11.4° from Aldebaran in the Pathfinder.
Neptune
Neptune: telescope at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 43.4° below the horizon. Rises 03:53; sets 15:59 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 7.8. The disk is 100.0% illuminated (nearly full). It is 33.6° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is direct at 0.033° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Fumalsamakah, 17.5° away. Neptune: 17.5° from Fumalsamakah in the Pathfinder.
Ceres
Ceres: in solar glare at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Rises 05:48; sets 19:41 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 8.8. The disk is 99.9% illuminated (nearly full). It is 10.9° from the Sun, on its east side. Motion is direct at 0.406° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Menkar, 8.9° away. Ceres: 8.9° from Menkar in the Pathfinder.
Pluto
Pluto: substantial telescope at the Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. At 45°N and 21:00 local apparent solar time, it is 50.4° below the horizon. Rises 01:54; sets 10:42 (45°N, local apparent solar time). Visual magnitude 14.6. The disk is 100.0% illuminated (nearly full). It is 91.3° from the Sun, on its west side. Motion is direct at 0.004° per day in ecliptic longitude at the snapshot. Position reference: Dabih, 8.7° away. Pluto: 8.7° from Dabih in the Pathfinder.
Highlights
Mercury
In solar glare; magnitude -0.5; direct motion; 81.0% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Mercury: 12.9° from Alrescha in the Pathfinder.
Venus
Naked eye; magnitude -3.9; direct motion; 88.9% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Venus: 9.1° from Aldebaran in the Pathfinder.
Moon
Naked eye; magnitude -11.3; direct motion; 79.2% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Opposition in ecliptic longitude May 01 17:23 UTC. Moon: 12.3° from Regulus in the Pathfinder.
Mars
Naked eye; magnitude 1.2; direct motion; 97.9% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Mars: 18.3° from Alrescha in the Pathfinder.
Jupiter
Naked eye; magnitude -2.0; direct motion; 99.2% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Jupiter: 8.2° from Pollux in the Pathfinder.
Saturn
Naked eye; magnitude 0.9; direct motion; 99.9% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Saturn: 19.4° from Diphda in the Pathfinder.
Uranus
Binoculars; magnitude 5.8; direct motion; 100.0% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Uranus: 11.4° from Aldebaran in the Pathfinder.
Neptune
Telescope; magnitude 7.8; direct motion; 100.0% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Neptune: 17.5° from Fumalsamakah in the Pathfinder.
Ceres
In solar glare; magnitude 8.8; direct motion; 99.9% illuminated. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Ceres: 8.9° from Menkar in the Pathfinder.
Pluto
Substantial telescope; magnitude 14.6; direct motion; 100.0% illuminated. Below the horizon at 21:00 local apparent solar time, 45°N. Monday 00:00 UTC snapshot. Pluto: 8.7° from Dabih in the Pathfinder.