Today:
Again high in the west at 9 PM, you’ll see the waxing gibbous Moon. Both it and nearby Jupiter appear to be “joined at the hip,” respectively, with the Gemini Twins, Castor and Pollux. Looking on from more of a distance are two bright stars: Capella, to the lower right, and Procyon, to the left.
Thursday:
As has been shown in the past two nights’ entries, a look to the west-southwest at 9 PM reveals a whole host of bright objects, including the Moon, Jupiter, and 7 of the 12 brightest stars that shine within the northern celestial hemisphere. Turning around and facing east-northeast shows a much sparser picture, with the only representative of the top 12 brightest stars being Arcturus, low in the east.
Friday:
Like Arcturus rising in the east, another lonely denizen of its sector of the sky is Polaris, the North Star. It appears prominent in the north because of its isolattion from any bright neighbors, but is only the 33rd brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere. At a distance of 432 light years from Earth, Polaris isn’t actually a single star, but a system comprised of three star that appear as one to the naked eye.