Today:
By 9:40 this evening, the Moon is nearly one third of the way up in the south-southwest. While just a few days ago the Moon’s companion was Regulus, this evening it has a new companion. As the Moon dangles just below the constellation Virgo, the Moon appears just below Virgo’s bluish and brightest star, Spica. Much higher up, the two are overseen by a bright and orange-ish star, Arcturus.
Wednesday:
Today is St. John’s Day – Midsummer’s Day in ancient traditions. One of the features of the summer skies is a trio of bright stars known as the Summer Triangle. Look in the east after 10 o’clock, where the brightest and highest of the three stars, Vega, is shining. Nearest the horizon is Altair, while the third star is found to the left, known as Deneb.
Thursday:
Planets will rise in the east tonight, but you’ll need to stay up late or get up early to see them. Saturn will rise almost due east at 1:15 AM, appearing in between the constellations Pisces and Cetus. By 3:15 Saturn will still be fairly low in the east-southeast. By then Mars will be rising in the east-northeast, already competing with the first glow of the dawn by 4:00 AM.