Today:
Jupiter now rises less than 3 hours after sunset, a gain of about 2 hours from the beginning of August. It climbs above the east-northeast horizon close to 10 o’clock, and reaches about one quarter of the way up by midnight, at which point it appears due east. It rises one half-hour early each week through the fall.
Friday:
Venus is just starting an extended morning display for early risers, lasting into the beginning of 2024. Our planetary neighbor rises in the east-northeast near 4:15 AM, but is placed much better for viewing, still quite low, from 5 to 5:45 AM, when twilight begins to overwhelm it. Venus rises earlier, and climbs higher through November 1st.
Saturday:
The brightest star in the Summer Triangle, Vega, appears nearly overhead as the last of the twilight fades near 8:35 PM. Vega’s brilliance is due, in part, to its location just 25 light years away, and because it is the fourth brightest star within 50 light years of here.