Today:
As we look forward to the New Year, watch Mars rising in the northeast before 6 o’clock tonight, having doubled its brightness over the course of this month, nearing its brightest display in another 2 weeks. The orbits of Mars and Earth align every 25 months, as we reach our minimum distance, and therefore Mars’s maximum brightness. After January of 2025, Mars is brilliant again in February of 2027.
Thursday:
As 2025 opens, we’ll say goodbye to one trio, and welcome to another. Low and due west this evening at 6:15 shines Altair, the lowest point of the Summer Triangle, setting over the next four hours. In the northeast, the Twins of Gemini climb higher, joined by Mars, which will climb closer to the Twins through the month.
Friday:
The failing twilight offers a splendid backdrop for the waxing Crescent Moon drawing closer to the dazzling Venus in the southwest. To the upper left of Venus, Saturn appears to peek in on the arrangement. Watch Saturn slip closer to Venus, until they meet from the 15th through the 19th.