Today:
As twilight fades from 9:00 to 9:30 PM, can you make out the letter “W” formed by five medium-bright stars, low above the northern horizon? This forms part of the throne of Cassiopeia, the Queen. To her upper right, still low, you might see a house-shaped pattern – a box with a triangle on top. This is the Queen’s husband, King Cepheus.
Friday:
High in the southwest by 9:15 PM, Regulus, the brightest star in Leo, appears just above and to the left of the Moon. Regulus sits very close to the path of the Sun, the same general path that the Moon follows, so these two have a regularly scheduled meeting every 27 days and 8 hours.
Saturday:
The Memorial Day weekend serves as an unofficial kick-off to summer, and the stars are doing their part. One of summer’s quintessential constellations is Scorpio, the Scorpion. The star Antares, regarded as the heart of the Scorpion, is rising in the twilight, and is due south at 1:10 AM EDT.