Today:
Harry Potter in the sky? Looking in the southeast after 7:00 this evening, we see the brightest star in the sky, Sirius, rising. It is known as the Dog Star, and in the Harry Potter books, his god-father Sirius turns into a dog. Likewise, Sirius’s sister is Bellatrix, the star that marks the left shoulder (our right) of Orion, called the “female warrior”, and in the books she indeed fights!
Tuesday:
As we look forward to the New Year, watch Mars rising in the northeast before 6 o’clock tonight, having doubled its brightness over the course of this month, nearing its brightest display in another 2 weeks. The orbits of Mars and Earth align every 25 months, as we reach our minimum distance, and therefore Mars’s maximum brightness. After January of 2025, Mars is brilliant again in February of 2027.
Wednesday:
As 2025 opens, we’ll say goodbye to one trio, and welcome to another. Low and due west this evening at 6:15 shines Altair, the lowest point of the Summer Triangle, setting over the next four hours. In the northeast, the Twins of Gemini climb higher, joined by Mars, which will climb closer to the Twins through the month.