As the winter constellations sit lower and lower in the night sky, April sees the arrival of some pretty exciting night sky events. The full moon at the start of the month provides an excellent target for beginners, and not only is there the breathtaking Lyrid meteor shower to enjoy (in new moon week, no less), but there are also two comets to see in April — although one of them will fly too close to the sun to be enjoyed with the naked eye.

Read on to discover our recommendations for the best cameras, best binoculars and best telescopes for each event throughout April.

small telescope to observe the craters and lunar surface in more detail. The evening moonrise is also an excellent time to photograph the moon, especially if you can capture it rising over a bridge, monument or tower to add drama and scale.

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lens choice is actually more important for photographing the moon. You’ll need a long focal length to zoom as far in as you can, so the moon appears bigger in the frame (a tripod or monopod will also help steady your shot). Alternatively, smart telescopes can track and stack images of the moon, which is a great alternative if you don’t have an astrophotography camera.

Binoculars: You can see the moon in pretty much any pair of binoculars, but it depends on how much detail you want to see, and whether you want to go handheld or use a tripod. We’ve had lovely views of the moon even with compact binoculars, but if you want the best views, we’d recommend sizing up to a pair of big astronomy binoculars — 12×50 and above is a good place to start.

Telescope: You can certainly get decent views of the moon in a small telescope, but, as you’d expect, the bigger tubes are going to have better light-gathering ability. In fact, the eyepiece will probably make the most difference for lunar viewing.

A 20mm eyepiece will give lovely full moon vistas, but a high-power 6-10mm eyepiece is great for picking out surface details. That said, the moon is an excellent first target for your kids to observe with a child-friendly telescope.

beginner telescope handy and don’t mind getting up before dawn, you can actually see Mercury in its phases — although don’t expect to see any surface detail. Plus, you’ll need to manage the bright pre-dawn light and Mercury’s low altitude, so we wouldn’t recommend spending too much time on it.

Comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) makes its closest approach to our star on April 4, and if it survives the close encounter, it could shine up to several times brighter than the full moon. Unfortunately, due to its close proximity to the sun, the safest way to view it is on your computer, via the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).

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Solar viewing can be dangerous, and although it would be tempting to use specialist solar viewing equipment, these are designed to block out over 99% of the sun’s harmful light, so a pair of solar binoculars would block out the comet entirely.

galaxy season, giving you the opportunity to see and image some faint fuzzies you don’t normally get to see.

Best seen with:

Camera: If you want to photograph galaxies, there are two ways you can go about it. The first (and by far, the easiest) is to use a smart telescope, which will locate, track and stack the images for you. The second way is to use a camera (even a beginner astro camera will work), a long telephoto lens and a star tracker. This method requires more know-how — and more patience — but will be more rewarding when you get it right. If you want a bonus third method, you can mount your camera to your telescope, if you have both.

Binoculars: Binoculars are great if you want a portable way to observe more stars than you can see with the naked eye, without having to fuss around with a telescope — although you won’t be able to see many galaxies. All you need is a pair of 10x50s to sweep across the sky to observe star clusters and constellations, or you can size up to larger magnification to see the Andromeda Galaxy and Jupiter’s moons.

Telescope: New moon week is the ideal time to head out with a telescope, and perhaps one of your last chances to see some of the winter constellations before they disappear. As there’s no moonlight, you can use anything from a small beginner scope up to a large Dobsonian and still get good views.

Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) — the “great comet of 2026” — just before sunrise. We don’t yet know how bright it will be, but some researchers have predicted it could reach a magnitude of anywhere from 8 (and therefore only visible with a telescope or large astronomy binoculars) to 2.5, where it would be visible to the naked eye.

You can spot the comet right now with a telescope, and it’ll only get brighter as the month progresses until its closest approach (perihelion) on April 17. Then, on April 27, it’ll make its closest approach to Earth, giving you another favorable opportunity to see it.

Best seen with:

Camera: To photograph this comet, you’ll need a decent astrophotography setup with a telephoto lens to capture the nucleus and tail of the comet. A smart telescope is an alternative option, especially if you live in a light-polluted city, and will give you a closer view than a camera would.

Binoculars: It’s very likely you’ll be able to spot the comet with binoculars, but its magnitude will determine what specs you need. To be safe, you’ll want the largest objective lens diameter you can afford to let in the most amount of light.

Telescope: You should only need a small telescope to see the comet, although, as expected, larger aperture instruments will yield brighter results.

Meteor showers are a very rewarding event to photograph for astrophotographers. You’ll need a camera that can handle high ISO levels (this, too, is helped out by the lack of moonlight) and a fast, wide-angle prime lens to fit as much of the sky and foreground in your shot as possible.

The OM System OM-1 Mark II would be fantastic for meteor showers, as you can see exactly what’s being recorded on the screen with Live Composite mode — proof that even APS-C and Micro Four Thirds cameras can work well for astrophotography.

Binoculars: Although the naked eye is typically best for meteor showers, binoculars can help you pick out faint meteors and dimmer tails that you can’t usually see. Plus, while you’re waiting, you can check out other favorite nighttime targets like star clusters, planets and the Milky Way with a pair of 10x42s. As it’s one of the more prominent showers, however, binoculars — which often struggle to keep up — aren’t a necessity.