Today:
Due west at 8:15 this evening, well above the bright star Arcturus, a semi-circle of stars, with a bright one in middle, forms the constellation Corona Borealis, or the Northern Crown. The middle, somewhat brighter star goes by the name Gemma, Latin for “gem” or Alphecca, Arabic for “one in the dish”.
Wednesday:
As the Moon grows larger through its waxing Gibbous phase, the fainter stars will be reluctant to shine, but shining in the west, quite bold, you’ll find the golden-orange Arcturus, about one quarter of the way up at 7:15, which gives it about 2 and a half hours before it sets. Arcturus, the second brightest star we see through the summer and early fall, emits 170 times more light than our Sun, and is among the nearer stars, some 37 light years away.
Thursday:
The bright star Arcturus, lowering into the western skies, shines about 50 percent brighter than the planet Saturn, gradually edging higher into the east-southeast. You may or may not notice this difference, but you are more likely to see that Arcturus sparkles and twinkles, while Saturn shines steady. Our atmosphere creates the effect, with little effect on planets because their beam of light, not necessarily brighter, is larger in diameter.