Today:
The Perseid Meteor Shower continues this evening, though past its peak. Even so, it is thrilling to see even a few “shooting stars” etch their path through the stars. Meteors are almost always favored after midnight, because our spinning Earth turns into the direction we are orbiting. This increases the number of particles we run into along our orbit.
Tuesday:
The Moon is just past its First Quarter as it nuzzles up close to the reddish star Antares, the “heart” of the Scorpion, low in the south-southwest as twilight gives way to darkness from 8:45 to 9 o’clock. The pair slide lower into the southwest, setting after 11:00 PM.
Wednesday:
In the pre-dawn skies, an early cup of coffee will be rewarded with a stunning view of the planets Jupiter and Mars, nearly half-way up in the east from 4 to 5 AM. Jupiter easily outshines Mars, so there will be no mistaking it, just below the reddish Mars, about 16 times less bright than our largest planet. The two slowly ease apart, Mars progressing to the left, through the rest of the month.