Today:
Night owls can see the Moon, just one day past its Last Quarter, rise in the southeast near 2:30 AM tomorrow morning. Just to its upper left will appear the red star Antares, the brightest star within the constellation Scorpius. As they climb higher, though still low from 4:30 through 5:30, the Moon’s orbit causes it to slide below Antares, fading in the twlight, one quarter of the way up, due south, at 6 o’clock.
Friday:
George Washington’s actual birthday (not the holiday) would have seen the same stars in the same places in 1732, though the planets would have been different. Thanks to modern computer calculations, we know that Venus and Saturn were amazingly close in the southwest after sunset, much like they were at start of the present month.
Saturday:
Facing south at around 7:40 reveals a host of bright objects along or near the ecliptic. In the east appears the star Regulus, within the constellation Leo. High in sky, and just east of south appears Mars, still in the company of Castor and Pollux. Just west of south appears Jupiter, with the star Aldebaran just below it. Much farther to the west is the bright but seemingly lonely Venus.