Today:
Just after the sun has set, at around 7:45 PM, Venus, will appear low in west. Venus is the brightest of all the planets in the night sky, bright enough to muscle through a lot of twilight. As the twilight fades its apparent brightness will increase, but it won’t be around for long. Even assuming a flat horizon, it will set in the west-southwest at 9:55 PM, parting company with the brightest objects that remain: The crescent Moon, still up in west-southwest, and Jupiter, about halfway up in the west.
Tuesday:
Tonight comes the expected peak of the Lyrid Meteor Shower. Look to the northeast around 10 PM. To the right of the bright star Vega, the Lyrids will be concentrated between the constellations Lyra and Hercules, and will lift high in the eastern sky. An average of 10 to 20 “shooting stars” is best viewed after midnight, especially once the wide Crescent Moon sets by 1:30 AM.
Wednesday:
Tonight the Moon will have a very close encounter with our largest planetary neighbor, Jupiter. In the fading twilight at around 8:45 this evening, a wide, waxing Crescent Moon will appear two-thirds of the way up in the southwest. Hovering barely below the Moon, by a mere 3 degrees, will shine Jupiter. The two will drop a little lower and be nearly due west by 10:15 PM.