In the Sky This Month

The Lyrid meteor shower is building toward its peak, on Sunday night. Unfortunately, the Moon will be almost full then, so its glare will wash out all but the brightest of the “shooting stars.”

Several time bombs are in view this evening. The list includes most of the bright stars of Orion, which is low in the west, plus Spica, the brightest star of Virgo, in the southeast. All of these stars are destined to explode as supernovas.

The bright star Regulus, the heart of the lion, stays close to the Moon the next couple of nights. It will stand to the lower left of the Moon at nightfall this evening, and to the upper right of the Moon tomorrow evening.

Jupiter and Uranus are low in the west as twilight fades. Jupiter looks like a brilliant star. Uranus is above it tonight, by about the width of a finger held at arm’s length, but you need binoculars to see it. The planets will slide past one other on Sunday night.

The bright yellow-orange star Arcturus is in the east at nightfall. Arcturus is a little bit heavier than the Sun. Yet that small difference has a big effect on the star’s evolution: Arcturus entered a late stage billions of years earlier than the Sun will.

The Moon creeps up on the twin stars of Gemini this evening. As night falls, Pollux and Castor are above the Moon. Pollux is on the left, and is a bit brighter than its “twin.”

One of the most beautiful constellations is dropping from view. Orion is low in the western sky at nightfall. Its three-star belt is almost parallel to the horizon. Its two brightest stars bracket the belt: orange Betelgeuse above, and blue-white Rigel below.

The star El Nath, which marks the tip of one of the horns of Taurus, the bull, is close above the Moon at nightfall. The Moon will slide closer to it during the evening.

The constellation Aquarius is in the east and southeast at dawn tomorrow. One of its most interesting features is a star system known as WASP-69. It has a giant planet that is so close to the star that the planet is vaporizing from the intense heat.

The crescent Moon snuggles close to two of the three largest planets in the solar system early this evening. The largest, Jupiter, looks like a brilliant star below the Moon. Uranus, the third-largest, is above Jupiter, but you need binoculars to see it.