Today:
As Leo the Lion continues to climb higher in the evening skies, March can also be said to “Go out like a lion.” Leo’s brightest star,Regulus, is more than half way above the southeast horizon at 8:30 PM EDT. Looking above and left of Regulus, the stars form a curve like the letter “c”, giving it the appearance of a sickle, or a “backward” question mark.
Wednesday:
This evening, almost exactly as the Sun sets, the Full “Pink” Moon rises in the east. The Moon is perfectly Full a few hours later, at 10:12 PM EDT. This Full Moon is known as the “Pink” Moon after the wild pink ground phlox, native to areas farther south than here. Later this evening, as the Moon climbs higher into the east, the star Spica trails to the lower left, preparing to be the Moon’s companion tomorrow night.
Thursday:
The waning Gibbous Moon still appears Full to our human eyes, and gains a celestial companion this evening. The star Spica sits barely above the Moon as they rise near 8:30 this evening. Interestingly, the Moon’s orbit brings it by the same stars every 27 days and 8 hours, which means this pair has another rendezvous on April 29th.