Today:
Just after midnight, the moon will rise in the east-southeast as a waning gibbous. Hot on its trail will be the planet Saturn, rising just to the left of the moon a few minutes later. Through the predawn hours, Saturn will give the appearance of gaining on the moon, but won’t quite succeed, before the rising sun causes the disappearance of both.
Friday:
Early sunrises mean you’ll have to be up quite early to see the planets, all of them in the morning skies. Around 3:30 AM you can catch Mars rising just north of east. With a flat horizon you might also be able to discern Jupiter rising in the same spot about 45 minutes later, as the morning twilight gathers.
Saturday:
All night, every night, the North Star is right where it always is – half way up, due north. Many are surprised that the North Star is not the brightest star in the heavens. It is not its brightness, but its location directly above the Earth’s North Pole that makes this the Pole Star. As the Earth spins on its axis, this star remains fixed in the same place, while the rest of the skies pivots around it.