05/30/2013 – Ephemeris – The constellation of the harvest, Virgo

Ephemeris for Thursday, May 30th.  Today the sun will be up for 15 hours and 17 minutes, setting at 9:19.   The moon, 1 day before last quarter, will rise at 1:42 tomorrow morning.  Tomorrow the sun will rise at 6:00.

Tonight in the sky: to the south, with the bright Saturn to the left of the bright star Spica is the constellation and member of the of the zodiac: Virgo the virgin.  Virgo is a large constellation of a reclining woman holding a stalk of wheat.  The bright star in the center of the constellation, Spica, is the head of that spike of wheat; and as such it ruled over the harvest in two of Virgo’s guises as the goddesses Persephone and Ceres.  Virgo is also identified as Astraea the goddess of justice.  The constellation of Libra, the scales, which she is associated with, is found just east of her low in the southeast.  Early Christians saw Virgo as the Virgin Mary.  Virgo is the host to a grand cluster of galaxies.

Times are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan.  They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Virgo, Saturn and Libra at 11 p.m. on May 30, 2013. Created using Stellarium.