Today:
A low, level view to the southwest shows a thin Crescent Moon making its last visible monthly visit to the pale blue star Spica for a few months, until early birds see it in November and December. Spica is one of four bright stars the Moon tracks near each month, but the timing changes as the Earth orbits the Sun.
Tuesday:
The eastern skies tomorrow morning at 4:15 AM EDT, offer a preview of coming attractions, as the winter “champion”, Orion, climbs higher into the east-southeast, following the bright red star Aldebaran, the red “eye” of Taurus, the Bull. You’ll see this same scene on a clear December evening, including the brilliant Jupiter, very high in the southeast.
Wednesday:
The Scorpion starts the evening at 8:45 PM, near its best position of the year, with its tail curving down and left to the southern horizon, then curling back up to the stinger on the very end of its tail. Just right of due south, the star on the very end of the tail is Shaula, coming from the Arabic meaning “raised tail”.