Today:
Our last good view of Comet Nishimura tomorrow morning from 5:25 to 5:40 AM, very low in the east-northeast, complimented with a fine pairing of the waning Crescent Moon to the left of the now-dazzling Venus in the east. Comet Nishimura will pass behind the Sun this Sunday, and then away from the Sun, but at an angle that keeps it too close to the Sun for viewing through October.
Wednesday:
Arcturus now settles lower in the west by dark. The second brightest star seen in the northern latitudes, Arcturus is due west at 8:00, and sets tonight in the northwest shortly after 11 o’clock. Its brightness is a combination of distance – relatively close at 37 light years away – and its size, some 26 times the diameter of our Sun.
Thursday:
Due west at 9:00 this evening, well above the bright star Arcturus, a semi-circle of stars, with a bright one in middle, forms the constellation Corona Borealis, or the Northern Crown. The middle, somewhat brighter star goes by the name Gemma, Latin for “gem” or Alphecca, Arabic for “one in the dish”.