Today:
Tonight’s New Moon will facilitate the detection the most distant object human eyes can see, the Andromeda galaxy, a faint smudge of light, one half of the way above the west-northwest horizon, as twilight ends after 7:00 PM. It appears at the hip of the constellation Andromeda, on the side toward her mother, Cassiopeia. A pair of binoculars will help.
Wednesday:
The planet Mercury presents a challenge to see, even when it’s at its best. Tonight, though, the slender Crescent Moon acts as an excellent guide to our elusive, inner-most planet. With the twilight ebbing between 5:45 and 6 o’clock, look low in the west-southwest, where a low, level view of the horizon welcomes the Moon. Just above the Moon, a bright spark of light appears – the planet Mercury reflecting the nearby Sun.
Thursday:
After crossing the sky this afternoon, the waxing crescent Moon will lower in the west this evening. As the light from the sunset dims, an object will appear below to the left of the Moon. Of a subtle yellow, the is the planet Saturn, which is 99.9 percent illuminated, but almost ten times as distant as the Sun.