Moon, Saturn, and Regulus
 Spiral storm systems, global cloud bands, and other subtle features shine through in this false-color infrared image of Saturn from the Cassini spacecraft, which is orbiting the giant planet. A portion of Saturn's rings show up in blue at lower right. Each storm system spans hundreds of miles in the image, which was taken January 19, with Cassini about 300,000 miles (500,000 km) from Saturn. The planet appears quite close to the Moon for the first few nights of February and looks like a bright golden star. [NASA/JPL/SSI]
The planet is Saturn. It's just above the Moon as they rise in early evening, and looks like a bright star. The true star Regulus is below the Moon. It's not as bright as Saturn right now, but it's still easy to pick out.
As the hours roll by, and the group moves high across the sky, the Moon will slide away from Saturn and toward Regulus. By dawn, they'll be just a couple of degrees apart as seen from the eastern United States -- the width of a finger at arm's length -- and even closer from the west. In fact, the Moon will get so close that it'll almost cover up the star.
The Moon, Saturn, and Regulus are quite different kinds of objects.
The Moon is a satellite world -- it orbits our own Earth. It's made of rock and metal, and it's about 2,000 miles in diameter.
Saturn is a planet -- a world that orbits a star. Its core is rock and metal, but most of the planet consists of hydrogen and helium gas. Saturn's diameter is almost 40 times greater than the Moon's.
Regulus is a true star -- a ball of hydrogen and helium that produces energy in its core. And it is almost 40 times bigger than Saturn.
Look for all three -- the Moon, Saturn, and Regulus -- highlighting the sky all night. More on this lineup tomorrow.
Script by Damond Benningfield, Copyright 2006
For more skywatching tips, astronomy news, and much more, read StarDate magazine.
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