Today:
The increasing light of the Moon leaves the brighter stars to admire, including Arcturus, emerging from the twilight, due east, about one third of the way up from the horizon at 9:30 this evening. Its pale orange color indicates it is a red giant star, a preview of what our Sun will do some 4 to 5 billion years from now.
Tuesday:
The waxing Gibbous Moon is just two days from being Full, known is April as the “Pink” Moon. This is a great time to see one of the Moon’s prominent craters, Tycho. Binoculars show it near the bottom as a hub for a series of lines radiating outward, or “rays”, caused when a meteor crashed into the Moon 110 million years ago.
Wednesday:
This evening, about 15 minutes before the Sun sets, the nearly Full “Pink” Moon rises in the east. The Moon is perfectly Full at 12:35 AM, though you won’t see any difference with your eyes. This Full Moon is known as the “Pink” Moon, named for wild pink ground phlox, native to areas farther south than here.