Today:
Arcturus, the brightest star in the evening skies, still close to due west, one quarter of the way up as twilight ends, setting earlier each evening, and heads below the west-northwest horizon at 9:30 PM EDT. Arcturus owes its brilliance to its relatively close position, about 37 light years away, while it sends out 170 times more light than our Sun.
Monday:
A growing Crescent Moon rides low over the southwest horizon, but not alone. As the brilliant Venus edges toward the horizon, looking from 7 to 7:15 well to the left of Venus, a star emerges to the right of the Moon, the reddish Antares, the “heart” of the Scorpion. Antares is nearing the end of its evening viewing, returning with the warmer weather next spring.
Tuesday:
The Draconid Meteor Shower peaks this evening, and the absence of the Moon allows star gazers dark skies to catch this minor event, most years producing fewer than 10 per hour. Occasional bursts hundreds per hour have occurred when their parent comet, Giacobini-Zinner, swings through the inner Solar System every 6.6 years, next in 2025.