Today:
The First Quarter Moon hangs in the south as the stars emerge from the twilight by 7:30. Looking to the left of the Moon, you’ll find the stars of the “teapot” in Sagittarius, with its triangular lid on top of the teapot, while two more stars form a handle on the left, and another star to the right can be imagined as a spout.
Tuesday:
Due west at 8:15 this evening, well above the bright star Arcturus, a semi-circle of stars, with a bright one in middle, forms the constellation Corona Borealis, or the Northern Crown. The middle, somewhat brighter star goes by the name Gemma, Latin for “gem” or Alphecca, Arabic for “one in the dish”.
Wednesday:
As the Moon grows larger through its waxing Gibbous phase, the fainter stars will be reluctant to shine, but shining in the west, quite bold, you’ll find the golden-orange Arcturus, about one quarter of the way up at 7:15, which gives it about 2 and a half hours before it sets. Arcturus, the second brightest star we see through the summer and early fall, emits 170 times more light than our Sun, and is among the nearer stars, some 37 light years away.