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What’s Up: April 2026 Skywatching Tips from NASA

Mercury shines extra bright, the Lyrid meteor shower peaks, and a comet soars into view

Mercury shines at its brightest for the year, the Lyrid meteor shower peaks, and a bright new comet makes an appearance in April’s night sky.

Skywatching Highlights

• April 3: Mercury at greatest elongation
• April 17: Best chance to see Comet C/2025 R3
• April 21 to 22: Lyrid meteor shower peak
• April 27: Comet C/2025 R3 makes closest approach to Earth

Transcript

Mercury shines extra bright, the Lyrid meteor shower peaks, and a comet soars into view. That’s What’s Up this April. 

On April 3rd, Mercury will be at its most visible all year. On this date, the planet will be at its greatest elongation, or its furthest distance from the Sun, as we see it from Earth, making it easier to see the often hard-to spot-planet. 

To find Mercury, look east before the Sun begins to rise. The planet will be very low on the horizon, just above Mars. 

The Lyrid meteor shower peaks April 21st to 22nd. This meteor shower comes from debris left behind by Comet Thatcher. 

When this debris hits and then burns up in our atmosphere, we see the “shooting stars” of a meteor shower. 

To experience the peak of the April Lyrids, look to the east starting at around 10 p.m. on April 21st and through the night into April 22nd. The meteor shower takes place nearby the star Vega, the fifth brightest star in the night sky, which can be found in the constellation Lyra, the Harp. 

April 17th might be your best chance to see the Comet C/2025 R3, which some think could be the brightest comet of the year. This comet will make its closest approach to Earth on April 27th, coming within 44 million miles of our planet. 

Experts estimate that the comet will likely reach magnitude eight, which means you would need access to a telescope or binoculars to see it. The comet will be visible in the eastern sky in the constellations Pegasus and above Pisces. You’ll be able to spot the comet in the predawn hours from mid-April through the end of April in the Northern Hemisphere, and in the evenings in early May for viewers in the Southern Hemisphere. 

Here are the phases of the Moon for April. You can stay up to date on all of NASA’s missions exploring the solar system and beyond, at science.nasa.gov. I’m Chelsea Gohd from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and that’s What’s Up for this month.

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La NASA presentará el telescopio Roman completo y ofrecerá una conferencia de prensa

Se invita a los medios de comunicación el martes 21 de abril al Centro de Vuelo Espacial Goddard de la NASA en Greenbelt, Maryland, para conocer el telescopio espacial Nancy Grace Roman de la agencia, cuya construcción terminó recientemente y el cual se encuentra ultimando las pruebas previas a su lanzamiento. Esta será una de las últimas oportunidades para ver este telescopio insignia, totalmente integrado, antes de que sea trasladado al Centro Espacial Kennedy de la NASA en Florida para su lanzamiento. El despegue está previsto para no antes de este otoño boreal.

Con la sala limpia más grande del centro Goddard de la NASA como telón de fondo, el evento incluirá una conferencia de prensa a las 4:00 p.m. EDT (hora del este) que será transmitida en el canal de YouTube de la NASA (en inglés). Descubra cómo puede ver el contenido de la NASA a través de diferentes plataformas en línea, incluyendo las redes sociales.

Los participantes de la NASA en la sesión informativa serán:

• Jared Isaacman, administrador de la NASA
• Nicky Fox, administradora asociada, Dirección de Misiones Científicas, sede central de la NASA en Washington
• Jamie Dunn, gerente del proyecto del telescopio Roman, centro Goddard de la NASA
• Julie McEnery, científica principal del proyecto del telescopio Roman, centro Goddard de la NASA

Los medios de comunicación interesados en participar por teléfono deben confirmar su participación, a más tardar, dos horas antes del inicio del evento con Alise Fisher: alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov. Una copia de la política de acreditación de medios de la NASA se encuentra disponible en línea (en inglés).

Los medios de comunicación acreditados que participen en persona también tendrán la oportunidad de visitar otras instalaciones del centro y hacer entrevistas con expertos sobre temas tales como la carga útil candidata para la Estación de Monitoreo del Entorno Lunar de la NASA para el programa Artemis, la misión DAVINCI a Venus, el concepto de misión del Observatorio de Mundos Habitables y la misión Dragonfly a la luna Titán de Saturno.

Para ser considerados para su acreditación presencial, los medios de comunicación extranjeros deben registrarse antes del miércoles 1 de abril; los medios estadounidenses deben registrarse antes del viernes 10 de abril. Todas las confirmaciones de asistencia de los medios deben ser enviadas a Rob Garner: rob.garner@nasa.gov.

Nombrado en honor a la primera astrónoma jefa de la NASA, el telescopio espacial Nancy Grace Roman ofrecerá una visión profunda y panorámica del cosmos, generando imágenes nunca antes vistas que revolucionarán nuestra comprensión del universo. Este observatorio marcará el comienzo de una nueva era de sondeos cósmicos, revelando una gran cantidad de objetos celestes y arrojando luz sobre algunos de los misterios más profundos del universo, incluyendo aquellos fenómenos que no podemos ver. Roman también exhibirá tecnología de vanguardia, incluyendo la prueba de tecnología más avanzada jamás enviada al espacio para obtener imágenes directas de planetas que orbitan estrellas cercanas, lo cual representa un paso clave en la búsqueda de vida en otros mundos por parte de la NASA.

El telescopio Roman es gestionado en el centro Goddard de la NASA en Greenbelt, Maryland, con la participación del Laboratorio de Propulsión a Chorro (JPL) de la agencia en el sur de California; Caltech/IPAC en Pasadena, California; el Instituto de Ciencias del Telescopio Espacial en Baltimore y un equipo científico compuesto por investigadores de diversas instituciones académicas. Los principales socios industriales son BAE Systems Inc. en Boulder, Colorado; L3Harris Technologies en Rochester, Nueva York, y Teledyne Scientific & Imaging en Thousand Oaks, California. También aportan sus contribuciones a la misión de Roman la ESA (Agencia Espacial Europea), la JAXA (Agencia Japonesa de Exploración Aeroespacial), la agencia espacial francesa CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales) y el Instituto Max Planck de Astronomía en Alemania.

Para obtener más información acerca del telescopio Roman de la NASA, visite el sitio web:

https://www.ciencia.nasa.gov/roman

-fin-

Bethany Stevens / Alise Fisher / María José Viñas
Sede central, Washington
202-358-1600
bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov / alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov /
maria-jose.vinasgarcia@nasa.gov

Claire Andreoli / Rob Garner
Centro de Vuelo Espacial Goddard, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-1940 / 301-286-5687
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov / rob.garner@nasa.gov

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Elizabeth Shaw

NASA to Unveil Complete Roman Telescope, Host Media Briefing

Media are invited Tuesday, April 21, to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, for a look at the agency’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which recently completed construction and is wrapping up prelaunch testing. This will be one of the last opportunities to view the fully integrated flagship telescope before it ships to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of a launch planned as early as this fall.

With NASA Goddard’s largest clean room as a backdrop, the event will include a news conference at 4 p.m. EDT, which will stream on NASA’s YouTube channel. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including social media.

NASA participants in the briefing include:

• NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman
• Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington
• Jamie Dunn, Roman telescope project manager, NASA Goddard
• Julie McEnery, Roman telescope senior project scientist, NASA Goddard

Media interested in participating by phone must RSVP no later than two hours prior to the start of the briefing to Alise Fisher, alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov. A copy of NASA’s media accreditation policy is online.

Credentialed media in attendance also will have the opportunity to visit other center facilities and conduct interviews with subject matter experts on topics such as NASA’s Lunar Environment Monitoring Station candidate payload for the Artemis program, the DAVINCI mission to Venus, the Habitable Worlds Observatory mission concept, and the Dragonfly mission to Saturn’s moon Titan.

To be considered for on-site credentials, foreign national media must register by Wednesday, April 1; U.S. media must register by Friday, April 10. Any media RSVPs must be sent to Rob Garner, rob.garner@nasa.gov.

Named after NASA’s first chief astronomer, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will have a deep, panoramic view of the cosmos, generating never-before-seen pictures that will revolutionize our understanding of the universe. The observatory will usher in a new era of cosmic surveys, unveiling troves of celestial objects and shedding light on some of the universe’s most profound mysteries, including phenomena we can’t see. Roman will also showcase cutting-edge technology, including a test of the most advanced technology ever flown in space to directly image planets around nearby stars, a key step in NASA’s search for life on other worlds.

The Roman telescope is managed at NASA Goddard with participation by the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California; Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena, California; the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore; and a science team comprising scientists from various research institutions. The primary industrial partners are BAE Systems Inc. in Boulder, Colorado; L3Harris Technologies in Rochester, New York; and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging in Thousand Oaks, California. Contributions to Roman also are made by ESA (European Space Agency), JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), the French space agency CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales), and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany.

For more information about NASA’s Roman telescope, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/roman

-end-

Bethany Stevens / Alise Fisher
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
bethany.c.stevens@nasa.gov / alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov

Claire Andreoli / Rob Garner
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-1940 / 301-286-5687
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov / rob.garner@nasa.gov

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Elizabeth Shaw

NASA Releases Artemis II Moon Mission Launch Countdown

Before NASA sends its astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen on their Artemis II mission around the Moon, the launch team at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and teams across the country will begin counting down about two days before liftoff. 

A launch countdown contains “L Minus” and “T Minus” times. The “L minus” indicates how far away liftoff is in hours and minutes. The “T minus” time is a sequence of events built into the launch countdown. Pauses in the countdown, or “holds,” are built in to allow the launch team to target a precise launch window, and to provide a cushion of time for certain tasks and procedures without impacting the overall schedule. During planned holds in the countdown process, the countdown clock is intentionally stopped and the T- time also stops. The L- time, however, continues to advance.  

Below are some of the key events that take place at each milestone after the countdown begins.

All times are approximate for when these milestones occur. 

L-49 hours 50 minutes and counting  

• L-49H50M – Launch team arrives to stations
• L-49H40M – Countdown clock begins
• L-49H40M – L-42H30M: Liquid oxygen (LOX)/Liquid hydrogen (LH2) system
  preparations for vehicle loading
• L-45H30M – L-44H: Orion spacecraft powered up
• L-42H20M – L-41H: Core stage powered up
• L-42H10M – L-40H30M: Interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS) powered up
• L-39H45M – L-35H30M: Final preparations of the four RS-25 engines

L-35 hours and counting

• L-34H45M – L-34H10M: ICPS is powered down
• L-33H30M – L-29H30M: Charge Orion flight batteries to 100%
• L-31H30M – L-24H30M: Charge core stage flight batteries
• L-20H15M – L-18H45M: ICPS is powered up for launch

L-16 hours and counting

• L-15H30M – L-14H: All non-essential personnel leave Launch Complex 39B
• L-14H15M – L-12H05M: Air-to-gaseous nitrogen (GN2) changeover and rocket
  cavity inerting
• L-13H15M – L-11H45M: Ground launch sequencer (GLS) activation

L-13 hours and counting

• L-12H35M – L-9H50M: 2-hour 45-minute built in countdown hold begins
• L-10H50M – Launch team decides “go” or “no-go” to begin tanking
• L-10H50M – L-9H35M: Orion cold soak
• L-10H40M – L-10H35M: Core stage LOX transfer line chilldown
• L-10H40M – L-9H55M: Core stage LH2 chilldown
• L-10H25M – L-9H40M: Core stage LOX main propulsion system chilldown

L-10 hours and counting

• L-9H55M – L-9H25M: Core stage LH2 slow fill start
• L-9H50M – Resume T-Clock from T-8H10M
• L-9H40M – L-9H30M: Core stage LOX slow fill
• L-9H30M – L-6H40M: Core stage LOX fast fill
• L-9H25M – L-8H: Core stage LH2 fast fill
• L-9H05M – L-8H30M: ICPS LH2 chilldown
• L-8H30M – L-7H45M: ICPS LH2 fast fill start
• L-8H – L-7H55M: Core stage LH2 topping
• L-7H55M – terminal count: Core stage LH2 replenish
• L-7H45M – L-7H20M: ICPS LH2 vent and relief test
• L-7H20M – L-7H10M: ICPS LH2 tank topping start
• L-7H05M – terminal count: ICPS LH2 replenish
• L-6H40M – L-6H10M: Orion communications system activated (radio frequency to mission control)
• L-6H40M – L-6H05M: Core stage LOX topping
• L-6H40M – L-6H30M: ICPS LOX main propulsion system chilldown
• L-6H30M – L-5H45M: ICPS LOX fast fill
• L-6H10M – Stage pad rescue
• L-6H10M: – Closeout crew assemble
• L-6H05M – terminal count: Core stage LOX replenish

L-6 hours and counting

• L-6H – Flight crew weather brief
• L-5H45M – L-5H30M: ICPS LOX vent and relief test
• L-5H30M – L-5H10M: ICPS LOX topping
• L-5H10M – terminal count: ICPS LOX replenish
• L-5H10M – All stages replenish
• L-5H10M – Start 1-hour 10-minute built in hold
• L-5H10M – L-4H55M: Closeout crew to white room
• L-4H40M – L-4H10M: Flight crew deployment to pad
• L-4H: Flight crew board Orion
• L-3H40M – L-3H10M: Crew module hatch preps and closure
• L-3H10M – L-2H45M: Counterbalance mechanism hatch sealpress decay
  checks
• L-2H20M – L-1H40M: Crew module hatch service panel install/closeouts
• L-1H40M – L1H30M: Launch abort system (LAS) hatch closure for flight
• L-1H10M – Launch director brief – rocket & thermal protection system scan results with the imagery console
• L-50M – L-40M: Closeout crew departs Launch Complex 39B
• L-50M – Final NASA test director briefing is held 

L-40 minutes and holding  

• L-40M – Built in 30-minute countdown hold begins 

L-25 minutes and holding   

• L-25M – Transition team to Orion to Earth communication loop following final NTD briefing
• L-17M – Launch director polls team to ensure they are “go” for launch
• L-15M – Flight crew visors down
• L-14M – Flight crew short purge verification 

T-10 minutes and counting  

• T-10M – GLS initiates terminal count
• T-8M – Crew Access Arm retract
• T-6M – GLS go for core stage tank pressurization  
• T-6M – Orion ascent pyros are armed
• T-6M – Orion set to internal power
• T-5M57S – Core stage LH2 terminate replenish
• T-5M20S – LAS capability is available
• T-5M20S – NTD lets commander knows LAS capability is available
• T-4M40S – GLS go for LH2 high flow bleed check
• T-4M30S – Flight termination system armed
• T-4M – GLS is go for core stage auxiliary power unit (APU) start
• T-4M – Core Stage APU starts
• T-4M – Core stage LOX terminate replenish
• T-3M30S – ICPS LOX terminate replenish  
• T-3M10S – GLS go for purge sequence 4 
• T-2M02S – ICPS switches to internal battery power
• T-2M – Booster switches to internal batter power
• T-1M30S – Core stage switches to internal power  
• T-1M20S – ICPS enters terminal countdown mode  
• T-50S – ICPS LH2 terminate replenish
• T-33S – GLS sends “go for automated launch sequencer” command
• T-30S – Core stage flight computer to automated launching sequencer  
• T-12S – Hydrogen burn off igniters initiated  
• T-10S – GLS sends the command for core stage engine start 
• T-6.36S– RS-25 engines startup  

 T-0  

• Booster ignition, umbilical separation, and liftoff 

Inside the terminal countdown, teams have a few options to hold the count if needed.

• The launch team can hold at 6 minutes for the duration of the launch window, less the 6 minutes needed to launch, without having to recycle back to 10 minutes.
• If teams need to stop the clock between T-6 minutes and T-1 minute, 30 seconds, they can hold for up to 3 minutes and resume the clock to launch. If they require more than 3 minutes of hold time, the countdown would recycle back to T-10.
• If the clock stops after T-1 minute and 30 seconds, but before the automated launch sequencer takes over, then teams can recycle back to T-10 to try again, provided there is adequate launch window remaining.
• After handover to the automated launch sequencer, any issue that would stop the countdown would lead to concluding the launch attempt for that day.

Launching the Artemis II Moon rocket will lift off the agency’s first crewed mission under the Artemis program, testing the systems that will return astronauts to the Moon for an enduring presence, and paving the way to human exploration of Mars.

To learn more about the Artemis program, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

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Lauren E. Low