Today:
This evening, almost exactly as the Sun sets, the Full “Pink” Moon rises in the east. The Moon is perfectly Full less than an hour later, at 8:22 PM, at which point you migh glimpse the steely-blue star Spica, just barely to the Moon’s upper left. The Moon actually passes in front of this star as seen from South America, called a lunar occultation. This Full Moon is known as the “Pink” Moon after the wild pink ground phlox, native to areas farther south than here.
Sunday:
While the Moon, just one day past Full, continues to bathe the skies with moonlight, the western skies play host to several bright objects capable of competing with the lunar glow. As the last twilight fades, Jupiter is due west, one third of the way above the horizon, at 8:45 PM. Jupiter is slowly progressing up through the “horns” of Taurus, the Bull, but not fast enough to overcome the Earth’s orbital speed. Jupiter settles lower each evening, and will be out of view by June.
Monday:
The brilliant star in the southwest to the left of Orion’s belt is Sirius, the Dog Star. As it lowers closer to the horizon, notice that as it twinkles, it flashes many colors. Its light is bending on its way through our atmosphere, giving us pin-point glimpses of its spectrum or rainbow, one color at a time.