Today:
The Ides of March meant the middle of March to the Romans, and specifically the night of the Full Moon, because their calendar was a lunar calendar. The Full Moon from last night would actually be this month’s “ides”, however, today’s standardized calendars are no longer lunar.
Sunday:
You can watch the waning Gibbous Moon lift into the east this evening just before 10 o’clock, led by a fairly bright, bluish-white star called Spica, the only bright star in Virgo. Through the night they progress higher through the southeast, cresting due south near 2:45 AM, and settling into the southwest near 5:45 as the blush of dawn appears in the east. The moon will remain visible longer, so it’s just a question of when Spica become not visible to the naked eye.
Monday:
Leo the Lion climbs higher into the evening skies, with its bright star, Regulus, the “heart” of Leo, nearly half way up in the east-southeast by 8:30 PM. Regulus appears to be younger than it really is. Astronomers discovered that a companion dwarf star supplies it with fresh material – a celestial face-lift of sorts.