Spica, the leading light of the constellation Virgo, is close to the lower left of the Moon as they climb into view late this evening. They will move closer together during the night. The bright star will stand above the Moon as they rise tomorrow night.
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 5: Ancient Visitor
March 6: Arcturus
Arcturus, the brightest star in Bootes, the herdsman, shows itself low in the east by about 9:30 or 10 p.m. It's the brightest star on the eastern side of the sky. It stands at the point of a faint pattern of stars that looks like an ice cream cone.
March 7: Argo Navis
The tale of Jason and the Argonauts is one of the biggest in Greek mythology. Their boat, Argo, was placed in the stars as Argo Navis. It was so huge that astronomers split it into three constellations: Carina, the keel; Vela, the sail; and Puppis, the poop deck.
March 8: Bad Neighbor
Canopus is the second-brightest star in the night sky. At this time of year, it's visible from the southern third of the United States during the evening. It's low in the south, well below Sirius, the brightest star.
March 9: Moon and Antares
Antares, the bright heart of the scorpion, perches close to the Moon at dawn tomorrow. Antares is roughly a dozen times as massive as the Sun and hundreds of times wider. Because of its great heft, it will explode as a supernova, likely within the next million years.
March 10: Last-Quarter Moon
The Moon is at last quarter tonight, three-quarters of the way through its month-long orbit around Earth. At last quarter, sunlight illuminates exactly half of the hemisphere facing our way, so it looks as though someone sliced the Moon in half.
March 11: Canis Major
Winter brings out some prominent constellations. One of the most conspicuous is Canis Major, the big dog. It's best known for Sirius, the Dog Star, which is the brightest star in the night sky. Sirius is a third of the way up the southern sky at nightfall.