Today:
The mid-winter stars rise earlier each evening, as the Earth makes its appointed journey around the Sun. By 9:30 PM, the familiar stars of Orion are in the east, and are joined by the bright star Procyon, just rising at 9:45 PM EST. This is the dominant star in the constellation Canis Minor, the Little Dog.
Wednesday:
Just as the clock strikes midnight, the Last Quarter Moon rises above a level eastern horizon, later if hills and trees are in the way. Above this half-illuminated Moon, the brightest star in Leo, the Lion, Regulus, struggles to be seen through the Moon’s glare. Through the wee hours of the morning, the Moon” tracks high through the southeastern sky. The “Last Quarter Moon” means it has progressed three quarters of the way through its cycle, in its orbit around the Earth.
Thursday:
At 7:50 PM you can see a faint cluster of stars called The Pleiades, or Seven Sisters, appearing a little less than halfway up in the east. To locate them more easily, you can first identify the bright and orange-red star Aldebaran, which appears due east, and then look farther up. In Japan The Pleiades are known as “Subaru” – yes, the same as the car – which means “to gather together”.