Today:
Capella, the fourth brightest star in the northern skies, appears low in the north-northeast by 8:30 PM, climbing to one quarter of the way up, in the northeast, by 9:30 PM. The Moon, now 3 days past Full, shines brightly as it rises near the same time, but Capella should find no difficulty in remaining visible despite the glow of moonlight.
Saturday:
If you’re up at midnight tonight, you can view quite a jubilee of bright bodies in the east-northeast. This will center upon the Waning Gibbous Moon, surrounded by Capella to its top left, Aldebaran to it top right, Betelgeuse to it lower right, and the just-risen Jupiter, which appears below and to the Moon’s left.
Sunday:
When Columbus landed in the Bahamas on this date in 1492, he used the North Star to determine his location. However, he mistakenly used the star Alderamin in Cepheus, and thought he landed near what is now Boston. Either tropical breezes, or an able assistant, helped him to correct his error.