Today:
Night owls might find the pairing of the Last Quarter Moon and the bluish-white star Spica a “hoot” in the hours after midnight. Rising in the east-southeast by 1:25 AM, they take their time climbing into the east. They continue to due south near 6:30 AM, and then fade in brightening twilight as the rising Sun takes over the skies after 7:30 AM. They meet again at month’s end.
Friday:
The Big Dipper is beginning to rise into the northeast. The two stars on the end of the “bowl” of the Dipper, known as the “pointer stars”, can serve to form a line, extending to the left where they guide you to Polaris, the North Star.
Saturday:
Early risers tomorrow will enjoy the combination of a waning Crescent Moon edging up into the southeast, greeting a preview of summer in the depths of winter. Well to the Moon’s left, the planet Venus beams above the red star Antares, the “heart” of the Scorpion. By 6 o’clock, Venus and Antares are low in the southeast, sliding a bit higher for your best views near 6:20, when the brightening twilight causes the star to fade.