Tonight at 8 p.m. the rising full moon will put on a bright display. To the right (south) of the moon and higher above the horizon is Spica in Virgo the Virgin, and to the left (north) of the moon and higher above the horizon is Arcturus in Bootes the Herdsman.
The bright moon will dim the colors of Arcturus (orange/red) and Spica (blue/white). These stars are a good contrast in color when the moon is not nearby.
The moon is rising later and later each evening. By Monday April 25th the moon will not rise until 10:13 p.m. It will have been well worth the wait when the moon clears the eastern horizon that evening.
At 11:30 p.m. that night the moon will be 13 degrees above the eastern horizon. To the right (south) of the moon watchers can find Saturn, 7 degrees away, and Mars, 14 degrees away. The moon, Saturn, and Mars will be positioned in a nearly straight line.
There is more. Antares, at the heart of Scorpius the Scorpion, is also to the right (south) of the moon 15 degrees. Mars and Antares form the base of a triangle that points to the moon with Saturn at the apex of the triangle.
