Use the Moon to Find America's Semiquincentennial Star

While stars and stripes will be prominent during America's 250th Anniversary celebration, one star in the night sky has special significance. Shining brightly at 250 light years away, Spica is America's Semiquincentennial Star. Light that left Spica in 1776--traveling at 186,000 miles per second--is just now reaching our eyes. For a visceral Semiquincentennial experience in 2026, find Spica, then contemplate your and America's place in the firmament.

To find Spica, follow the arc of the Big Dipper's handle to the bright star Arcturus, then continue onward to Spica. "Arc to Arcturus, then spike to Spica." As an aside, while you're in the celestial neighborhood, star hop from Arcturus to find a rare recurring nova in Corona Borealis, which is expected to explode in 2026. The brightest star in the Northern Crown is the gem star Gemma, commonly called Alphecca. Details and more star charts are at https://www.nightwise.org/nova-in-corona-borealis.

The full moon can be a useful, albeit limited, reference for finding Spica in 2026.  Spica conveniently resides in the constellation Virgo. Because they lie along the ecliptic, the moon and planets pass nearby. Below are some useful dates to find Spica quickly. Note that there are more stars shown in the illustrations than will be visible with a bright moon and twilight.

Spica is housed in Virgo near the ecliptic and is passed monthly from west to east by the moon.

On April 2 the full moon and Spica rise together along the eastern horizon an hour after sunset.  Spica emerges as daylight fades. Separated by only a couple degrees, the pair move in tandem until they set toward the west in morning twilight.

On April 29, the pairing repeats, though they rise almost two hours after sunset.  The nearly-full moon and America's Semiquincentennial Star move across the sky all night together, setting in the west about an hour before sunrise.  

On May 26-27, the moon is passing from one side of Spica to the other.  At sunset, Spica is already thirty degrees above the horizon.  See how early into twilight you can find the Anniversary Star to the south, separated from the moon by less than the width of your extended fist from the moon.

On June 23 the summer night is short, and Spica is up the whole time near the waxing gibbous moon.  While the moon is visible by day, Spica emerges from the twilight when they are toward the south.

As Friday, July 3, segues into the Fourth of July, the moon is elsewhere.  About 30 minutes after sunset, perhaps when the fireworks begin, the Big Dipper is high overhead; Spica is southwest about 30 degrees up from the horizon; and Corona Borealis is between them.  Near midnight, the rising moon heralds the arrival of July 4.

Happy Semiquincentennial, America!