Today:
Prowling the heavens about halfway up in the southwest this evening, you’ll find Leo, the Lion, emerging at about 9:30 PM. Leo is one of the horoscope signs, its traditional dates of late July into the third week of August marking when the sun was against the background of these stars 5000 years ago. This now happens one month later.
Saturday:
Just before 9 o’clock, reprising a scene from early this month, the Moon is just one day shy of being Full as it rises in the company of the red star Antares in the twilight, coming into view as the sky darkens from 9:00 to 9:30 PM. Like earlier this month, the Moon’s orbit shifts it slowly east, while the spinning Earth sends it west, cresting low in the south about a half hour after midnight.
Sunday:
The Full “Milk” Moon rises as the sun sets, climbing a bit higher and due southeast as darkness settles in by 9 o’clock or so, edging through the constellation Scorpius. Cast your gaze to the upper right of the Moon, where you can identify the bright and reddish star Antares, the so-called Heart of the Scorpion. There are also references to a Blue Moon, though this comes from astrology and social media, rather than astronomy.