Three bright stars form a tall, skinny triangle in the east by 10 or 11 p.m. The brightest is yellow-orange Arcturus, the third-brightest star in the night sky. Spica is far to the right of Arcturus, with Regulus high above and to the right of Spica.
Weekly Stargazing Tips
Provided by StarDate.org. Unless otherwise specified, viewing times are local time regardless of time zone, and are good for the entire Lower 48 states (and, generally, for Alaska and Hawaii).
March 21: Spring Triangle
March 22: Solar Temple
The Pleaides star cluster is close above the Moon at nightfall. It represents the shoulder of Taurus, the bull. Its brightest stars form the outline of a tiny dipper. Aldebaran, the bright orange eye of Taurus, is well to the left or upper left.
March 23: Hyades
The Hyades star cluster, which outlines the face of Taurus, the bull, is to the lower left of the Moon this evening. Its stars form a "V" shape. The brightest star in the outline is Aldebaran. It's only about half as distant as the stars of the Hyades, however.
March 24: Moon and Elnath
Elnath marks the tip of one of the horns of Taurus, the bull. It's about 130 light-years away, and about five times the size and mass of the Sun. It's close to the Moon tonight. As night falls, they're no more than one or two degrees apart.
March 25: Moon and Jupiter
Jupiter stands near the Moon tonight. The solar system's largest planet looks like a brilliant star, so you can't miss it. The twin stars of Gemini, Pollux and Castor, are close by, standing almost directly overhead.
March 26: Moon and Gemini
Pollux, the brightest star of Gemini, is quite close to the Moon tonight. Its "twin star," Castor, and the brilliant planet Jupiter are a little farther from the Moon. Pollux is much bigger and brighter than the Sun. It's also cooler, so it looks orange.
March 27: Circumbinary Planet
Astronomers recently found a world that may be similar to Tatooine, the home of Luke Skywalker. Known as Bebop 3b, it orbits both stars in a binary system, giving it double sunsets. The system is high overhead at nightfall, but too faint to see without a telescope.