This week on Star Watch, you will slowly be able to see the moon get a little fuller each night as well as a chance to see the constellation the Big Dipper.
As we head through the overnight tonight and through this weekend, the moon will be in its waxing phase. This means each night from now until May 5, which is the date for the next full moon, the moon will be looking more and more full.
Thursday night, you will be able to see the moon at about half full. As we head through the weekend, the moon will be looking fuller each night. You want to look high in the Western sky over the next few nights to see the waxing moon.
Also on Thursday night, you will want to keep an eye out for the Big Dipper. You’ll be able to see that just to the right of the moon, which once again, will be about half full.
The easiest way to see this constellation will be to keep an eye out for the two brightest stars in the constellation. These two stars are Alkaid and Dubhe. Alkaid is the star that creates the “end of the handle,” and the star Dubhe is the star at the “tip of the spoon” of the Big Dipper. Once these stars are seen, the rest of the star formation should come into shape and you will be able to see this signature constellation.
