Close encounter! Watch bright stars Spica and Antares with Moon in night sky

Spica, one of the brightest stars in the night sky, will appear below the waning gibbous moon on March 19 and March 20. The bluish-white star, which is about twice as large as our Sun and nearly 2000 times brighter, will rise after the Moon, appearing above the east-southeastern horizon at 9:17 p.m. EDT.

According to NASA, on March 23 morning, the bright star Antares will appear below the Moon, above the southeastern horizon at 1:06 a.m. EDT. Antares is about 850 times the diameter of our own Sun, 15 times more massive, and 10,000 times brighter.

Further, on March 28, Venus, Saturn, and Mars will appear clustered together on the east-southeastern horizon. On Monday morning, you can view the waning crescent moon joining these planets, which should be one of the observing highlights. To see this close encounter, you will need a clear view of the east-southeastern horizon.

On March 29, Earth's sister planet Venus and Saturn will appear at their closest to each other, a little over 2 degrees apart, with Saturn to the lower right of Venus. Mars will appear farther to the right of Venus and Saturn the same day.

You can find more information about the upcoming celestial events here.