Spring is sprung, and the sun is rising higher every day. It is moving north now, and this is a fairly quiet time as far as sunspots are concerned. Keep up to date at www.spaceweather.com

The phases of the moon are as follows: First Quarter, April 5; Full Moon, April 13; Last Quarter, April 21; New Moon, April 27. This Full Moon is called the Pink Moon, but this is more to do with the colour of spring flowers than the appearance of the moon itself.

The phases of the Moon are important as they indicate where the Moon is to be seen in the sky. Although we regard the Moon as a night time object there are very few days, around the time of New Moon that it is impossible to see the Moon with the naked eye at some time in a 24 hour day. The New Moon will always be first seen, eg 3 days old, following the Sun down on the western horizon.

Those with long memories will recall an eclipse of the moon in mid-March, and more recently a solar eclipse at the end of the month. There will be another pair in September, although the solar eclipse will not be visible from the UK.

As for the planets, Mars is high in the sky before midnight, while Jupiter is visible in the evening in the constellation of Taurus.

The Lyrids meteor showers can be seen in the north-east, close to the bright star Vega in the constellation of Lyra. They peak on April 22 but can be seen a few days either side of that date.

Look out for the constellation Gemini, which contains the bright stars Castor and Pollux.

Roseland Observatory is based in Truro High School for Girls.Visit www.roselandobservatory.co.uk