Today:
During the next 10 days, the morning twilight welcomes one of our better views o Mercury, from about 6 until 6:25, low in the southeast. Mercury passed between the Sun and Earth November 20th, and is now curving out toward its maximum separation from the Sun on the 7th, with its best views through the 12th. After that, it slowly sinks back into the Sun’s glare, slow enough you may see it through the Winter Solstice.
Wednesday:
The Moon appears Full to the unaided eye, but it’s still 24 from the specifc moment of Full, when it is directly opposite the Sun. The Moon rises to one third of the way up and due east at 6:30 this evening, its light washing out the faint cluster of stars just to its left, the Seven Sisters, or the Pleiades. Well below them you’ll catch a view of a reddish star, Aldebaran, the prominent star in Taurus, the Bull. The Moon returns here for New Years Eve.
Thursday:
The Full “Cold” Moon rises well to the north of east, and rides a very high path across the skies, located near where the summer sun is found. All Full Moons are opposite the Sun’s location, thus the reverse is true in summer, with the Moon traveling low across the southern skies – the winter Sun’s path.