• See two bright star near the moon on June 27? They are (or were) the star Spica and the planet Saturn. The chart at the top of this post shows the moon, star Spica and planet Saturn on June 28, 2012. Look for them to pop out quite close to the waxing gibbous moon as soon as darkness falls or any time this evening.
• As seen from North American latitudes, Spica and Saturn appear to the west (right) of the moon on June 28. But as viewed from northerly latitudes in the Eastern Hemisphere - Europe, Africa, Asia - the moon is seen closer to Spica and Saturn than it is in North America. At temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, you'll see the moon, Spica

and Saturn high in the northern sky at early evening.
• No matter where you live, Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, is the closer of these two bright lights to tonight's moon. Saturn - the sixth planet outward from the sun - lies to the north of Spica.
• Mentally note the moon's position relative to Spica and Saturn on these nights, then check out the moon's position again tomorrow night. You'll see that the moon has moved eastward of these bright lights - or in the direction of sunrise. The moon moves full circle in front of the constellations of the Zodiac in about four weeks, but slow-plodding Saturn takes nearly 30 years to circle the Zodiac.
• If you have a hard time telling the star Spica from the planet Saturn, look at them through binoculars. Saturn looks yellow or golden in color. Spica radiates blue-

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