ohOnce again the moon is our guide this week, passing within about 1.5° of Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, the virgin. The full circle of the moon has an angular diameter of about 0.5°, so it will approach Spica to about six lunar latitudes.
The chart shows the view looking southeast from London at 23.00 GMT on February 28, shortly after the pair rose. After the full moon has passed, the waning moon will now rise later and later, with less and less of its visible surface illuminated. On February 28, 83% of its Earth-facing hemisphere will be illuminated. By next week, it will be a thin crescent rising in the morning sky before the sun.
Spica is the 16th brightest star in the night sky. It is a blue giant star that pumps out nearly 21,000 times the light of the Sun. Its name comes from Latin and means the virgin’s vein. It has several Arabic names, of which Sunbulah also means ear of grain, but Alarph means grape gatherer, and Azimech defies easy translation. For the Chinese, Spica is within the Horn mansion, which forms part of the Azure Dragon.
From the southern hemisphere, Virgo rises in the late evening at this time of year.
