Today:
The First Quarter Moon makes its monthly appearance near the Twins of Gemini, but this month enjoys the added feature of the planet Mars, the bright, orange object below the Moon. The Twins stars Pollux, on the left, and Castor, on the right, mark the heads of the twins, starting the evening near 8:30 PM, very high in the west-southwest. The entire celestial group drifts lower, still about half way up in the west near 10 o’clock.
Sunday:
Rising in the east-southeast as twilight yields to darkness, a steely-blue star rises in the east-southeast, the brightest star in Virgo, the Virgin, Spica. One way to find it is to follow the “arc” of the Big Dipper’s handle, high in the northeast, down and right to the bright, pale orange star “Arc”-turus. Then continue to the lower right, and “spike” to Spica.
Monday:
As the last of the twilight fades after 8:30, look higher into the southeastern skies, where the celestial Lion, Leo, appears about to swallow the waxing Gibbous Moon, progressing to due south, about two thirds of the way above the horizon, at 10 o’clock. Leo’s brightest star, Regulus, just below and to the east of the Moon, is subdued by the moonlight.