Today:
Late this evening, the waning Gibbous Moon, one day from its Last Quarter, works its way above the east-northeast horizon in the company of Mars to its upper right, somewhat subdued by the Moon’s glare. You’ll find the pair one third of the way up, due east, at midnight, progressing past due south near 5 o’clock, and still quite high in the southwest as the blush of morning twilight grows near 6 o’clock.
Thursday:
Near 8 o’clock this evening, as the Big Dipper scrapes the hills and trees along the northern horizon, look half way up in the north to find the North Star. Now continue, about the same distance to the top of the sky, where an upside-down w-shaped pattern marks Cassiopeia, the Queen, always opposite the Big Dipper as they pivot around the North Star.
Friday:
Late this evening, after 11 o’clock, the Last Quarter Moon and the bright star Regulus, the “heart” of the constellation Leo, the Lion, make their way into the heavens. Through the wee hours of tomorrow morning, this “half Moon” tracks higher into the southeastern sky. The “quarter” Moon refers to its progression three quarters of the way through its cycle, and along its orbit around the Earth.