For skywatchers, tonight is a time for old friends. There's an almost-full Moon, so its glare overpowers most of the stars. But the brightest, most-familiar stars shine through. That includes the stars of the Big Dipper, which are in the northeast at nightfall.
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 31: Shining Through
April 1: Morning Mercury
Mercury is just peeking into view in the dawn sky. The little planet is in the east in the waxing twilight, and looks like a bright star. But because of the angle at which it rises, it's hard to spot. The view is best from south of about Dallas.
April 2: Moon and Spica
Spica, the brightest star of Virgo, rises just above the Moon early this evening. Spica consists of two big, heavy stars. The primary star is about 10 times the mass of the Sun, while the other is about seven times the Sun's mass.
April 3: Cat's Eye
The faint constellation Draco, the dragon, is in the northeast at nightfall and slithers high across the north later on. One of its treasures is the Cat's Eye Nebula, which represents the glowing remains of a dying star.
April 4: Beta Monocerotis
The star Beta Monocerotis is a highlight of Monoceros, the unicorn. The constellation is high in the southwest in early evening, between Orion and the "little dog" star Procyon. A telescope shows that it consists of three stars, all with a fetching blue-white color.
April 5: Moon and Antares
The bright star Antares, the heart of the scorpion, climbs into good view by 1 or 1:30 a.m. tonight. It stands close to the lower left of the Moon as they rise, with the Moon inching closer to the star before dawn.
April 6: NGC 2467
NGC 2467, a nebula in the constellation Puppis, is well to the left of Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, in early evening. It's visible through binoculars. It's actually several stellar nurseries that line up in the same direction.