For the rest of the month we are going to let the moon guide us around the sky.
This week it will guide us to the beautiful red jewel of Antares. The brightest star in the constellation Scorpius, the scorpion, Antares is a red supergiant star containing more than 12 times the mass of the Sun. If it were to replace the Sun in our solar system, it would swallow all four of the inner planets, including Earth.
The chart shows the view looking due south from London at 0500 GMT on 14 March 2023. The moon will be rapidly approaching its last quarter, or half moon phase, with just under 60% of its surface illuminated. The contrast of the silvery moonlight and the ruby-red of Antares will make a rather beautiful combination.
To see this from the northern hemisphere will requite a clear southern horizon. The farther south you are located, the easier this will be to see. From Cape Town in South Africa, for example, the pair will rise above the eastern horizon about 2300 SAST. By the early hours of the morning, they will be shining high in the sky, near the zenith.
