J.T. What to Shoot in North Carolina's Skies: April 2025 Edition
- Juxtaposed Tides
- Mar 26
- 8 min read
An Aperture Abenteuer Feature for Curious Skies and Awake Souls
It’s that time again—when the chill of March is giving way to the promise of spring, and the North Carolina sky becomes a vibrant, cosmic stage for some of the season’s most awe-inspiring celestial shows. Whether you’re wielding a seasoned DSLR, shooting raw with a mirrorless, or just chasing beauty with your phone and a tripod, April 2025 is about to offer up a sky full of reasons to head out and look up.
March's night skies were some for the record books! With its total lunar eclipse, reaching totality right over our Great North State! And did we have a stellar aperture abenteuer at it!
In this month’s What To Shoot in North Carolina’s Skies, we’re walking you through every celestial happening worth your attention. From poetic planet pairings to moonlit marvels and meteor mischief, we’ve mapped it all out in classic Aperture Abenteuer fashion—meant to inspire, encourage, and, more than anything, get you out there in it with some (p)research already completed for you!
What to Shoot in North Carolina's Skies April 2025
Let’s break down this starry month, one event at a time.
🌒 April 1 – Crescent Moon Kisses the Pleiades & Jupiter
Start the month with a springtime stunner. On the evening of April 1st, a slender crescent Moon hangs low in the west, nestled sweetly near the glittering Pleiades star cluster and the unmistakable shine of Jupiter. So grab your binoculars, or just your good old-fashioned eyeballs, and prepare for a night of stargazing that’s bound to inspire awe—and maybe even a few laughs as you attempt to pronounce “Pleiades” without sounding like you’re sneezing. April 1st is not just for pranks; it’s a night to revel in the beauty of the cosmos, reminding us that sometimes the best surprises come from looking up instead of down!
When & Where:
Just after sunset, look west-northwest.
Best viewed between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM EDT.
The Pleiades (also called the Seven Sisters) will sit just above the Moon, with Jupiter shining nearby like a cosmic lantern.
Why It’s a Must-Shoot:
The combination of crescent Moonlight and the icy shimmer of the Pleiades offers a frame-ready moment. Wide-angle shots with foreground elements like trees, barns, or even silhouettes of friends could become a print-worthy photo story.
📸 Pro tip: Try shooting with a 50mm or 85mm lens to isolate the Moon and Jupiter in frame—bonus if you catch earthshine glowing on the Moon’s dark side.
🔴 April 5 – The Moon & Mars: Close Encounters of the Red Kind
On April 5th, Mars makes a close pass with the Moon, offering another stellar pairing worth setting an early evening aside for. Mars, known for its warm, reddish hue, will be easy to spot beside the Moon’s pale glow.
When & Where:
Look east around 9:00 PM.
The Moon and Mars will sit within just a few degrees of each other.
Visibility will be good from dusk onward.
Why It’s Special:
Mars doesn’t hang out this close to the Moon all that often. It’s a chance to get that soft gray Moon contrasting against Mars' ruddy spark. Think about capturing the scene with a mid-range zoom (100–300mm) if you want both to pop.
🧭 Adventure Suggestion: Head to a ridge line or open field with an eastern view. Mars and the Moon will rise into clearer skies as the night deepens.
🌕 April 12 – The Full Pink Moon
No, it won’t be pink. But it will be glorious.
The Full Pink Moon rises big and bright on April 12th, lighting up the whole night with its silvery glow. The name comes from the blooming of phlox flowers in early spring—not the Moon’s color—but the magic is all the same.
When & Where:
Moonrise is around 7:45 PM EDT in North Carolina.
It will be visible throughout the night, so there's no need to worry if you miss its ascent. However, arrive early to experience the spectacular rise above the horizon, which is typically quite remarkable.
How to Frame It:
Pair it with landmarks. Let that glowing orb rise over the Blue Ridge, hover above a coastal lighthouse, or shine behind the gnarled limbs of a flowering dogwood tree. This is the night to go long exposure and low ISO.
🌿 Bonus Idea: Let this full moon inspire your Earth Day photo planning. More on that below.
✨ April 19–30 – The Morning Planet Trio: Venus, Mercury, Saturn
The eastern pre-dawn sky turns into a planet party starting around April 19th. Venus, dazzling and unmissable, is joined by elusive Mercury and ringed Saturn in a triangle of planetary delight.
When & Where:
Look east between 5:30 AM and 6:30 AM EDT.
The trio becomes most compact around April 25.
How to Shoot It:
You can fit all three planets—and the waning crescent Moon—into a single frame around April 25. Use a tripod, a fast lens, and bracket your exposures to balance the planets with the predawn light. Foregrounds like lighthouses, mountains, or even a tent at a campsite elevate the composition.
🌄 Location Tip: Eastern-facing overlooks like Craggy Pinnacle on the Blue Ridge Parkway or Pilot Mountain’s Little Pinnacle Overlook offer panoramic views ideal for lining up these alignments.
🌌 April 21–22 – The Lyrids Meteor Shower
The Lyrids are a consistent spring meteor shower peaking on April 21st into the 22nd.
When & Where:
Peak night: April 21–22, from midnight to dawn.
Look northeast toward the constellation Lyra.
Is It Worth It?
Yes—just temper expectations. You won’t get a meteor storm, but the Lyrids are known for occasional bright fireballs, which can still steal the show, especially late in the night when the Moon dips lower.
🏕 Best Bet: Head for higher elevation and darkest skies. Mount Mitchell, Pisgah National Forest, or even Medoc Mountain State Park give you the darkness you’ll need to spot the brighter meteors.
🌍 April 22 – Earth Day + Belt of Venus & Earth's Shadow
End Earth Day the right way: by watching Earth itself in action. Just after sunset on April 22, turn your back on the setting Sun and look east. You’ll witness the Belt of Venus—a rosy, glowing arc hovering above the horizon—followed just below by the shadow of Earth itself.
When & Where:
About 15–30 minutes after sunset, look east.
Requires a clear horizon (beachside, mountaintop, or farmland views work great).
What to Shoot:
This is a gorgeous visual metaphor for Earth Day: our own planet silhouetted in space. Wide-angle shots work best, especially if you can place a person, tree, or building in the foreground for scale.
💡 Tip: It’s subtle—so bracket exposures and don’t be afraid to slightly underexpose to bring out the contrast between pink and blue.
📍 Where to Go Stargazing in North Carolina
You know our mantra at Juxtaposed Tides: half of seeing the sky is getting away from what's below it. Here's a few favorite dark-sky haunts worth the drive:
🔭 Best Dark Sky Spots:
Great Smoky Mountains National Park: National park skies = magic.
Stone Mountain State Park: Wide open skies with minimal artificial light.
Cape Lookout National Seashore: Ocean, stars, silence. What more do you need?
Elk Knob State Park: Not just a summit—an invitation to see the stars undisturbed.
🌌 Light Pollution Tip: Use DarkSiteFinder.com or the Clear Outside app to scout for local darkness before you head out.
🧭 Gear & Apps We Recommend:
PhotoPills or Stellarium (plan celestial events and compositions)
SkyView or Night Sky (great for on-the-go identifications)
Tripod & remote shutter (essential for longer exposures)
Binoculars or a small refractor telescope (helpful for planets & Pleiades)
Wrap-Up: April is for Eyes Wide Open
April 2025 in North Carolina is full of reasons to look up, wander out, and let yourself fall in love with the night again. From delicate crescent moons brushing ancient star clusters to pre-dawn planet dances and meteor streaks across Earth Day skies, this is the kind of month we created Aperture Abenteuer for.
So pack a thermos, grab your gear (or just your curiosity), and make a date with the sky. We’ll be out there too—watching, shooting, feeling small, and loving every minute of it.
Follow along and tag your shots with #ApertureAbenteuer and #JuxtaposedTidesSkies—we'd love to see what you find when you aim your lens skyward this spring. Check out our resources page below for a much more in-depth look essential sky happenings.
🔭 Citations & Skywatching Resources
For April 2025 and Beyond – Curated by Juxtaposed Tides
As part of our commitment to inspiring awareness of the natural world and empowering our readers to do their own stargazing and research, we’ve curated a list of trusted and up-to-date resources. Whether you’re a beginner just looking up or a lifelong astrophotographer chasing alignments, these links will help deepen your understanding of what’s happening above.
🌕 Moon Phases & Lunar Events
NASA Moon Phase Calendar (Customizable by Date & Location): https://moon.nasa.gov/moon-in-motion/moon-phases/
Time and Date – Moonrise/Moonset & Phases for Any Location: https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/
✨ Meteor Showers
American Meteor Society (AMS) – 2025 Meteor Shower Calendar: https://www.amsmeteors.org/meteor-showers/meteor-shower-calendar/
International Meteor Organization (IMO) – Meteor Activity Outlooks: https://www.imo.net/resources/calendar/
🪐 Planet Visibility & Conjunctions
Sky & Telescope’s “This Week’s Sky at a Glance”: https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/sky-at-a-glance/
Heavens Above – Accurate Sky Charts & Planet Positions (Customizable for North Carolina): https://www.heavens-above.com/
The Sky Live – Real-Time Planetary Positions & Events: https://theskylive.com/
📱 Stargazing Tools & Apps (Free & Premium)
Stellarium Web (Free Star Map & Planetarium): https://stellarium-web.org/
PhotoPills (Night Photography Planning App): https://www.photopills.com/
SkySafari Astronomy App: https://skysafariastronomy.com/
Sky Guide (iOS) / Sky Map (Android): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sky-guide/id576588894https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.starmap&hl=en
🔭 Light Pollution & Observation Sites
DarkSiteFinder (U.S. Light Pollution Map): https://www.darksitefinder.com/map/
International Dark-Sky Association – Certified Dark Sky Parks in NC: https://www.darksky.org/our-work/conservation/idsp/finder/
Clear Outside (Weather & Transparency Forecasts for Stargazers): https://clearoutside.com/
🌍 Astronomy News & Sky Alerts
EarthSky – Night Sky Guides, Events & Updates: https://earthsky.org/
NASA Night Sky Network – Monthly Skywatching Tips: https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/
Space.com – Astronomy & Stargazing Coverage: https://www.space.com/spacewatch
📝 Educational & Reference Sites
NASA Solar System Exploration: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/
HubbleSite – Space Telescope Discoveries: https://hubblesite.org/
Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD by NASA): https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
📍 Local Astronomy Clubs & Observatories (North Carolina Focused)
Morehead Planetarium & Science Center (UNC – Chapel Hill) :https://moreheadplanetarium.org/
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI): https://www.pari.edu/
Forsyth Astronomical Society (Winston-Salem & Piedmont Triad): http://www.fas37.org/
Cape Fear Astronomical Society (Coastal NC): https://www.capefearastro.org/
⚠️ Notes for April 2025 Observers:
Time zones: All times mentioned are in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) unless noted otherwise.
Check local weather forecasts before heading out! Use ClearOutside or your preferred weather app.
Some planetary conjunctions and visibility details may vary slightly depending on location in North Carolina. Use Stellarium or Heavens Above to tailor for your coordinates.
🌌 Stay curious. Stay grounded. Look up often.– The Juxtaposed Tides Team
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