Today:
Finding Venus has finally become easier through this month, as its orbit continues to curve around the Sun, getting closer to us. In the pocess, this curve has increased its separation from the Sun, more than one hand-width higher than earlier this month. This increases through early January, offering some excellent views of our “sister” planet.
Saturday:
Late tonight, night owls can look almost directly overhead to view a triangular formation of three bright objects. Reaching one third of the way, and due east by 11 o’clock, you’ll easily see the increasingly bright Mars, while high in the northwest, getting close to the Zenith, twinkles the bright, binary star Capella, part of the constellation Auriga; and toward the southwest is Jupiter, still between the horns of Taurus.
Sunday:
Orion makes his appearance a little earlier each evening, now lifting into the east-southeast by 8 o’clock. Directly above his bright shoulder star, Betelgeuse, the stunning Jupiter looks on well above. The chase is on! Orion climbs higher in the southeast, but his efforts to catch Jupiter are in vain, as our largest planet maintains its distance from the heaven’s great warrior, the pair track west across the skies through the night.