Starwatch: the early morning moon passes Regulus

Starwatch moon and regulus 26 Feb 2018

This week’s “must see” is another for early risers. On 1 March the almost full Moon will pass very close to Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo (see chart). Regulus is the closest bright star to the ecliptic plane. This is the path that the planets, the Sun and the Moon all follow in the sky. The ecliptic passes through a number of constellations. Most of these are known as the zodiacal constellations and, like Leo, their names are familiar because of their long association with astrological myth. At 06:00 GMT on 1 March, the Moon will be less than a degree to the north of Regulus. The Moon itself measures half a degree across when full, meaning that it draws to within two-diameters-distance of the star. Although Regulus looks like a single object to the naked eye it is instead composed of at least four stars in orbit around each other.