The star Spica, which is close to the Moon tonight, is quite different from the Sun. It consists of two stars, both of which are many times bigger and heavier than the Sun. Their surfaces are tens of thousands of degrees hotter than the Sun's, so the stars shine blue white.
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).
May 9: Moon and Spica
May 10: The Herdsman
The constellation Bootes, the herdsman, is high in the east as darkness falls. Find it by picking out its brightest star, yellow-orange Arcturus, which is the second-brightest star in northern skies.
May 11: Moon in Balance
The full Moon achieves a sort of celestial balance tonight. It's passing across Libra, the balance scales, which are a symbol of justice. But the proper names of the constellation's brightest mean "the claws"-of nearby Scorpius, the scorpion.
May 12: Full Moon
The Moon is full at 11:56 a.m. CDT today as it lines up opposite the Sun in our sky. Among other names, the full Moon of May is known as the Grain Moon or Green Corn Moon.
May 13: Moon and Antares
Antares, the star that represents the heart of the scorpion, stands a whisker from the Moon as they climb into view this evening. It consists of two stars, the brightest of which is a supergiant that is destined to explode as a supernova.
May 14: The Crow
Corvus, the crow, is due south at nightfall, to the lower right of the bright star Spica, the leading light of Virgo. Four stars form an angled box that looks like a sail.
May 15: NGC 2281
The star cluster NGC 2281 is in Auriga the charioteer, in the west-northwest at nightfall. The "twins" of Gemini stand to its upper left, with the brilliant star Capella farther to its lower right. Under clear, dark skies, the cluster is visible to the unaided eye.