Today:
A slender, waxing Crescent Moon slides low above the western horizon this evening, with the tips of its horns nearly vertical. This gives the appearance that the Moon cannot “hold water”, and therefore gives us the weather saying, “when the Moon cannot hold water, expect rain.
Thursday:
The star Arcturus appears near 8:45 PM, as twilight gives way to darker skies, seen about half way up in the west. It is due west at 10:30 and sets after midnight. This star owes its status as the brightest star in the summer skies because it is relatively close by at 36 light years, and it is huge, measuring 37 times the diameter of our Sun.
Friday:
A low, level view to the southwest shows a thin Crescent Moon making its last visible monthly visit to the pale blue star Spica for a few months, until early birds see it in November and December. Spica is one of four bright stars the Moon tracks near each month, but the timing, and the Moon’s phase changes as the Earth’s orbit changes our viewing location.