BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Each week, Brad Klein reviews upcoming astronomical highlights with Bethlehem’s 'Backyard Astronomy Guy," Marty McGuire.
This week, they discuss a prominent binary star system known as Spica.
It’s in the constellation Virgo and is one of the brightest objects in the pre-dawn sky.
This week, it’s close to the even brighter morning star, the planet Venus.
Look for a bright star near Venus in the morning sky, and what you’re really seeing is two stars, each bigger than our own Sun, orbiting each other at the remarkable speed of once every four days.
Spica, in the constellation Virgo, comprises two massive stars in a tight orbit.
Even with binoculars, they are so close, and so far away that they appear as a single point of light.
Another highlight of the night sky is the full moon on Nov. 27.
