Mon Apr 25, 2016 MOON, MARS AND SATURN IN SCORPIUS

If you were outside this morning before sunrise, and happened to have a clear sky, you may have seen the old gibbous moon, well up in the south. You may have also seen three stars nearby the moon; but only the bottom-most star is actually a star: it’s the red giant Antares, which marks the heart of Scorpius. Just above Antares is another red-tinged star, but that’s not a star at all – it’s Mars. You can see how Antares got its name when you compare it to Mars – they look a lot alike, especially in color. Antares means, “rival of Ares,” the Greek name for Mars. Just to the left of the moon is a star with a slight yellow tint, and that’s really the planet Saturn. Tomorrow morning, the moon will be farther to the east, but Antares, Saturn and Mars will still be close together in Scorpius.