Today:
Tonight Leo catches up to the Moon. So much so, in fact, that Regulus will briefly disappear behind the Moon in much of the continental U.S. But such an occultation will be a near miss for those of us in New England. Regulus will pass just barely over the top of the Moon at around 9:30 PM. Although slowly, Regulus will then slip farther and farther to the Moon’s west for the rest of the night, as both drop to western horizon at around 3:20 AM.
Sunday:
By 9:00 PM the constellation Corona Borealis, or Northern Crown, rises into the east-northeast, one third of the way from the lower left of Arcturus, and to the upper right of Vega, just rising in the northeast. Its middle star, alternatively named Alpheca or, more appropriately Gemma, is the jewel in the crown, and highlights the semi-circle of stars.
Monday:
Orion is now very low in the western skies, by the end of twilight, his feet along the horizon by 9:00 PM, with his belt only visible with a perfect view to the west and southwest. Orion’s stars are among the brightest in the sky because they are part of our neighborhood in the Milky Way Galaxy. Our Sun, along with many of Orion’s stars, are among millions in a minor band of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy called the Orion Spur.