There is a major meteor shower next month, the Lyrids, peaking on the evening of April 21. Unfortunately, an almost-full moon will shine in the sky all night, making viewing conditions less than ideal for seeing many meteors.

The radiant is between Lyra and Hercules but won't even begin to rise until 9:30 p.m., when the moon is well up in the eastern sky. Fortunately, there are many other science-related events going on right here in the Islands to satisfy your celestial appetite.

Consider coming to the Bishop Museum Sky Tonight evening program, on Friday. This is an hourlong planetarium program concentrating on details of the month's sky, with the opportunity to do some telescope viewing if the weather cooperates. Please note that this program has been moved by an hour, now starting at 8 p.m., and reservations are required. Call 848-4168 for reservations and information. There is a charge of $4 for non-Bishop Museum members.

The 51st Hawai'i State Science and Engineering Fair is another learning opportunity open to the public on Wednesday. Amazing and imaginative displays and projects from more than 400 students representing 80 schools around the state will be on display at the Neal Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. In addition to these fascinating and sometimes amusing presentations (is your mouth cleaner than your dog's?), there are several other special exhibits as well.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is sponsoring a visit by TERRI, a 5-foot-tall sophisticated robot that sings, tells stories and converses with people. NOAA will also bring an interactive computer exhibit called SciLands — a virtual world in which to explore the Earth in ways most people would never experience. With your virtual personality, you can float on a thundercloud, fly through a hurricane, explore underwater caves and more in the Second Life world. The Air Force Association will have a full-size model of the space shuttle cockpit to walk through. All this is free and open to the public on Wednesday.

On Saturday the Bishop Museum hosts the 4th annual Mad About Science Festival from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the theme, "Healthy Living, Healthy Planet," focusing on ideas from medicine to global warming. The popular behind-the-scenes tours of the museum's natural sciences collections will be offered and special programs and activities for the entire family will be ongoing throughout the day.

Speakers from environmentally conscious businesses and government agencies in the community will offer talks on keeping our lifestyles, homes and land healthy and safe. NOAA will again make an appearance with TERRI, SciLands demonstrations and hands-on activities for the kids. This is also the last few weeks of the Bishop Museum's special exhibit, Animal Grossology, which will be open during the Mad About Science Festival.

At the end of the month, on April 27, the University of Hawai'i Institute for Astronomy will hold its annual Open House from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Many fascinating astronomy displays, talks and activities will be offered from the Institute and its partners (including the Bishop Museum). This event is free and open to the public.

Finally, a sneak peek into activities in May — Big Island residents can look forward to AstroDay May 3 at the Prince Kuhio Plaza in Hilo. It's a daylong celebration of the science, technology and culture in Hawai'i involving participants from all over the state.

MORE ON THE SOUTHERN CROSS

Several readers commented on the fact that one of the featured constellations I wrote about last month, the Southern Cross, was not visible in last month's map. That is because our map can only show one part of the evening sky and we chose to illustrate the sky only until 10 p.m. or so. Unfortunately for last month that just missed the time the Cross rose in the sky. However, since the stars rise around four minutes earlier each night (because of our orbit around the sun) this means that by the end of the month those stars rise roughly two hours earlier. Therefore, the Southern Cross will be on our map this time since it will be up in the south by 10 p.m. at the beginning of April.

THE PLANETS

MERCURY:

Mercury is traveling behind the sun this month but by the last few days of April emerges low in the western sky at evening twilight. The Pleiades sits near the small planet but that little cluster, along with the other stars associated with the winter sky, are getting progressively lower in the west and more difficult to see as the days get longer.

VENUS:

Like Mercury, Venus is also preparing to go behind the sun, although it still has a couple months to go. But it is very close to the sunrise, rising less than an hour before the sun in early April and half an hour in late April. By then it will be too challenging to see until it reappears in the evening sky in late summer.

MARS:

Mars starts off the month on the side of the brother Castor in the constellation of Gemini. As the month progresses, the planet begins to shift eastward toward the other twin Pollux and by the last day of April appears as almost a third "brother" in the constellation. On April 11, a first quarter moon skims by the Red Planet, making for a nice sight with binoculars or a telescope.

JUPITER:

Jupiter rises in the east by 2 a.m. in early April and two hours earlier at the end of the month. It will appear right above a third quarter moon on April 27, very early in the morning. The giant planet is heading toward opposition in July, so it is getting bigger and brighter in our night sky as we approach that date.

SATURN:

Saturn is nicely placed at the "top" of the sky as night falls in the constellation of Leo. The pale golden planet is only a few degrees from the star Regulus, the heart of the lion. Three days after visiting near Mars, the moon pays a call on the Saturn and Regulus on April 14.