The Moon is one day from its First Quarter this evening, as it makes its monthly appearance next to the Twins of Gemini, the stars Pollux, on the left, and Castor, on the right. They start the evening near 8:30 PM, very high in the west-southwest, and are still about half way up in the west near 10 o’clock.
Thursday:
Corona Borealis, or the Northern Crown, rises into the east-northeast, one third of the way from the lower left of Arcturus, and to the upper right of Vega, just rising in the northeast. Its middle star, named appropriately Gemma, is the jewel in the crown, and highlights the semi-circle of stars.
Friday:
Rising in the east-southeast as twilight yields to darkness, a steely-blue star rises in the east-southeast, the brightest star in Virgo, the Virgin, Spica. One way to find it is to follow the “arc” of the Big Dipper’s handle, high in the northeast, down and right to the bright, pale orange star “Arc”-turus. Then continue to the lower right, and “spike” to Spica.