Three astronomic events will take place in late April, including a meteor shower, a partial eclipse of the moon, and Saturn coming its closest to the Earth.

According to the Vietnam Astronomy Association, the Lyrids meteor shower will occur on April 21, a partial lunar eclipse on April 26 and Saturn’s orbit will take it the closest to the Earth on April 28.

The ideal time to watch the meteor shower will be early in the morning of April 22. However, it is a small shower and falls close to the time of the full moon so it will be difficult for urban residents to see it.

Scientists say that the partial eclipse of the moon will happen from 1am to 5am on April 26.

The President of Vietnam Amateur Club of Astronomy (VACA), Vu Tuan Son, said all these phenomena can be safely viewed with the naked eye. The meteor shower should be easy to watch in rural areas while binoculars, telescopes or professional cameras can be used to get the best view of the partial eclipse.

Son added that people watching Saturn travelling closest to the Earth with just their eyes will only notice a small light spot in the sky. He suggested using a telescope in order to see the shape of the planet and its special rings.