Today:
Lowering into the west-northwest this evening, the pale orange star Arcturus, sets near 8:15 PM EDT. However, our second brightest star is not done. Early tomorrow morning, Arcturus climbs back into the east-northeast starting at 5:25, though much easier to find one hour later.
Sunday:
Guess who’s rising before midnight? The Winter champion Orion lifts into the east and southeast for night owls, tracking to due south near 4 o’clock tomorrow morning, and then heads into the southwest just as twilight begins, near 6 o’clock.
Monday:
Cresting due south this evening at 9:15 PM, Saturn is easy to locate, one third of the way up. Then, turn your gaze lower, also due south, where a rather bright, but rarely noticed star makes its best evening appearance of the year. Known to astronomers as Fomalhaut, the name originates from Arabic for the “mouth of the fish”, part of the constellation, the Southern Fish.