Today:
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaks tonight, but with considerable interference from the Moon. Best seen after midnight, this will feature up to 15 meteors or “shooting stars” per hour, in the southeast. These cosmic pebbles that burn up upon entering the Earth’s atmosphere are actually the debris from Halley’s Comet, not returning until 2061.
Wednesday:
Spanning from the west to northwest this evening, a large collection of bright objects should get your attention. Lowest but brightest as twilight fades after 9 o’clock is Venus, flanked to the upper right by the brilliant Capella, and the upper left by Procyon. Higher up shines Jupiter, within the constellation Gemini.
Thursday:
Stretched through the east and southeast by 10 o’clock, the brilliant stars Arcturus, two-thirds of the way up in the southeast, and Vega, well to its lower left, and one third of the way above the eastern horizon, help you to locate a faint semi-circle of stars between them, the Northern Crown, closer to Arcturus.