Today:
For the next few nights, an excellent planetary encounter – a conjunction – graces the southwestern skies, featuring the dazzling Venus, and the iconic Saturn. Saturn begins to the lower left of Venus, and through the next four nights remains about the same distance, but appears lower each night, eventually sliding below Venus on the 20th. The display begins in the late stages of twilight near 6 o’clock, the pair setting by 8:30 PM.
Sunday:
Looking overhead at 9:05 PM this evening, you’ll find the fourth brightest star we can see from our northern latitudes, the outstanding Capella. Below Capella, Orion is unmistakable, while the red star Aldebaran sparkles to Orion’s right, and to the left are the Twins of Gemini.
Monday:
Just as the clocks chime midnight, the waning Crescent Moon rises in the Last Quarter Moon rises just below one of the brighter stars we see, Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, the Virgin. The pair edge up to one quarter of the way above the southeast horizon by 2:30 AM, cresting due south, one third of the way up at 5:15 AM.