Late this evening, near 10:30, lowering toward the northwestern horizon shines a sparkling, flashing object, with random flares of green, or red, or blue. No, it is not a UFO, but the bright star Capella. Bright stars, when they are near the horizon, have their light bent by the atmosphere, much like light going through a crystal or prism.
Friday:
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower enjoys a broad peak over the next few nights, best seen after midnight, with up to 15 meteors or “shooting stars” per hour. Unfortunately, this cosmic dust, the debris from Halley’s Comet, won’t be easy to see, thanks to the overwhelming glow of the Full “Flower” Moon.
Saturday:
The Moon is just past Full as it climbs into the southeast near 9:40 PM, with the red star Antares following to its lower left about 40 minutes later. Antares is often referred to as the “heart” of Scorpius, the Scorpion, beginning its annual crawl across the southern skies. Antares and the Moon will be due south in the wee hours of the morning, near 2:30 AM.