A nearly Full Moon passes close to the heart of the Scorpion, visible in the early-morning hours.
The Moon and Antares stand close together in the south early this morning.
Credit: Alison Klesman (via TheSkyX)
The Moon passes 0.3° south of Antares at 7 A.M. EDT. You can catch them early this morning, when they are highest in the south just after midnight on the 9th. The Moon’s bright light dominates the southern sky as our satellite quickly waxes toward the Full phase, which it will reach in just over 24 hours.Â
Early this morning you’ll see the Moon just to the lower right of Antares. The Scorpion’s alpha star shines at magnitude 1.1 and should remain visible even in the moonlight. It shows off a notable red hue, thanks to its relatively cool surface temperature of 6,000 F (3,300 C).Â
Spica, the 1st-magnitude star in Virgo that the Moon passed by late last week, is now far to the pair’s upper right.Â
Sunrise: 5:31 A.M.
Sunset: 8:28 P.M.
Moonrise: 8:30 P.M.
Moonset: 4:31 A.M.
Moon Phase: Waxing gibbous (99%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. local time from the same location.
For a look ahead at more upcoming sky events, check out our full Sky This Week column.Â
