Starwatch: The moon passes by Spica, the 16th-brightest star in night sky

Blue giant in Virgo constellation pumps out almost 21,000 times the light of the sun

Once 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 presents an angular diameter of about 0.5°, so it will approach Spica to about six lunar widths.

The chart shows the view looking south-east from London at 23.00 GMT on 28 February, shortly after the pair have risen. Having passed full moon, the waning moon will now rise later and later, with less and less of its visible surface illuminated. On 28 February, 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.

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