In the Sky This Month

Look for Regulus, the brightest star of Leo, standing close above the Moon as they climb into good view by 1:30 or 2 tomorrow morning. The star will be a little farther from the Moon at dawn.

Today is Martinmas, one of the cross-quarter days, which occur roughly halfway between a solstice and an equinox. In many cultures, these days marked the start of the seasons. Martinmas honors Saint Martin of Tours, who died in the year 397.

The Pleiades star cluster is just climbing into view in the evening twilight, in the east-northeast. The cluster looks like a tiny dipper, at the shoulder of the bull. In Hawaii, this appearance marked the beginning of a new year. The date was known as Makahiki.

The Moon shoots the gap between some bright companions tonight: the planet Jupiter and the star Pollux, the brighter “twin” of Gemini. They climb into good view by about 10:30 or 11, and stand high overhead at dawn tomorrow.

Grus, the crane, strolls low across the southern horizon in early evening, with its long neck extending well up into the sky. The crane is to the lower right of Fomalhaut, the brightest star in that region.

The waning gibbous Moon climbs into good view by about 8 o’clock tonight. Elnath, the second-brightest star of Taurus, is quite close to the Moon’s left or upper left. The star represents the tip of one of the bull’s horns.

The Moon is just past full tonight, so it’s a big spotlight that is in the sky almost all night. Even from locations far from city lights, the brilliant Moon can overpower much of the view of the Milky Way, meteors, and other subtle lights.

Perseus, the hero, is low in the northeast at nightfall and stands directly overhead around midnight. To see it, first find nearby Cassiopeia, which looks like a letter M or W. Cassiopeia is high in the north in mid-evening, with Perseus below it.

The Hunter’s Moon shines brightly tonight. It is the first full Moon after the Harvest Moon, which this year came in October. In bygone centuries, the extra moonlight made it easier for hunters to track animals through the empty fields and beyond.

Spica, the brightest star of the constellation Virgo, is close to the right of Venus, the Morning Star, quite low in the dawn twilight. Venus will disappear from view soon, while Spica will climb a bit higher into the sky day by day.