Today:
Looking due east, two-thirds of the way up from the horizon at 7:15 PM, the middle star of Andromeda marks her waist, joined by a star to the upper right for her head, and her foot to the lower left. Follow two stars up from her waist to find a faint smudge of light, the Andromeda Galaxy.
Friday:
Later this evening in the western skies, the constellation Cygnus, the Swan is low in the northwest about 9:45 PM. It is also called the Northern Cross, in part a reference to the Southern Cross – a bright constellation seen only from the tropics southward. The brightest star in the group is at the top of the cross, known as Deneb, which means “the tail” of the Swan in Arabic.
Saturday:
A trio of bright objects is climbing into the east and northeast this month, featuring the star Capella, the highest of the trio, a pale yellow hue about one quarter of the way up in the northeast at 7 o’clock. To its lower right, quite spectacular, shines Jupiter, becoming easier to see as it rises higher through the evening. That also brings our third object into better view. The red star Aldebaran sparkles to the right of Jupiter.