Head out tonight, 29 April 2026, look up at the nearly-full Moon and you'll notice a bright star to its left.
That's Spica, one of the brightest stars of springtime.
The Moon is currently in the waxing stage of its cycle of phases, it's big and bright and approaching full Moon, which will be the Flower Moon rising this weekend.
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The Flower Moon is coming
The Flower Moon is the nickname given to the full Moon that rises in May, which in 2026 is visible on Friday 1st May just after sunset.
The term 'Flower Moon' is an historic reference to the fact that May's full Moon rises at the height of spring, when flowers are abloom.
This full Moon will rise in the southeast, just as the Sun is setting on the northwest horizon, and will then climb to the southeast as midnight approaches.
The Flower Moon will be visible in the constellation Libra, just below Virgo and its 'Bowl of Virgo' star pattern.
The Moon will track across the southern region of the sky, setting in the southwest in the early hours around dawn.
The Moon and Spica tonight
You may already have spotted the bright, nearly-full Moon this week during the early evening, before the Sun has even set.
The Moon is often visible in the daytime, and this happens during the phases leading up to and just after new Moon, when the Moon is close to the Sun in the sky.
Tonight, Wednesday 29 April, as something of a build-up to the Flower Moon rising, the Moon will be close to Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, in the evening sky.
Spica will be to the Moon's left, and the pair will be visible in the south just after sunset.
Of course, the Moon and Spica aren't actually close together. In reality, Spica is about 250 lightyears from Earth, while the Moon is our closest celestial companion.
Spica isn't even our closest star, but it is one of the brightest stars in the spring night sky.
While the distant stars don't really change position to any noticeable degree from one night to the next, the Moon does track eastward across the sky each evening.
That's why the Moon appears to hop along the sky, meeting other bright objects along the way.
We call these apparent meetings between two bright objects 'conjunctions', and they can often involve the Moon next to a bright planet like Venus, or next to a bright star like Spica.
If you've enjoyed seeing the Moon and Spica tonight, there's another, albeit more tricky, conjunction visible this weekend, very late on Saturday 2 May and into the early hours of Sunday, before dawn.
Find yourself a clear horizon, spot the Moon in the south and, to its left you'll see Antares, the brightest star in Scorpius.
This will be tricky to spot because it will require a late night of stargazing, but also because you'll need a clear southern horizon, as the pair will be low-down in the sky.
Share your observations and stargazing images with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
