Today:
Tonight, as the twilight fades in the west, the “twin stars” of Gemini are lowering toward the horizon. Pollux on the left, and Castor a bit higher and to the right, are not actually twin stars. They are not even related. Pollux is 34 light years away, while Castor is a more distant 55 light years.
Monday:
The star Antares, the “heart” of Scorpio, the Scorpion, is due south at midnight, shimmering a bright orangish-red. Antares was one of the four Royal Stars in Persian astronomy, marking the position of the Sun at the beginning of autumn thousands of years ago. You can see the head and shoulders of the Scorpion – a trio of stars – to the upper right.
Tuesday:
The Crescent Moon continues to grow in the western twilight. By 10 o’clock, the last of the twilight gives way to the stars, including the relatively bright star see to the left of the Moon, Regulus, the “heart” of Leo, the Lion. Setting toward the west-northeast, both bodies will dip back below the horizon a bit past midnight.