Starwatch: Spica greets the passing moon

The brightest star in the constellation Virgo, Spica appears as a single object but is in fact a binary star

This week, the bright star Spica greets the passing moon. The chart shows the view looking south-west from London at 22.15 BST on 3 July 2025.

At 8.3 days old, and with 60% of its visible surface illuminated, the moon will be just past its first quarter (half moon) phase and into its waxing gibbous phase, on the way to becoming full next week.