Today:
The first of two minor meteor showers is near its peak tonight, known as the Southern Taurid Meteor Shower, to distinguish it from the Northern Taurids next week. This meteor shower remains active from late September through early December, tossing 5 to 10 meteors per hour across the heavens, some blazing a path as brighter, more dramatic fireballs. The bright Moon, unfortunately, makes seeing them more challenging.
Friday:
The Waning Gibbous Moon rises just east of northeast, just before 6:00 PM, and appears just to the right of the star Elnath, which marks the tip of Taurus, the Bull’s upper or right horn. This makes the star quite challenging to see. A little farther up and toward the northeast, appears Capella, the brightest star within Auriga, and the fourth brightest star in the northern (celestial) hemisphere.
Saturday:
Vega, the brightest star visible this evening, starts this night high in the west at 6 o’clock, and takes its time lowering through the northwest all evening, not setting until 2 o’clock tomorrow morning. Vega is bright, in part, because it is one of the closer stars to us, some 26 light years away, as well as cranking out 47 times as much light as our Sun.