Today:
New on the scene this month is an old favorite, the Summer Triangle. Near 10 o’clock, the brightest star of this trio, Vega, is in the east, about two thirds of the way up from the horizon. Deneb is much lower and in the northeast, to Vega’s left. The third member is rising in the east, known as Altair. They will grace the evening skies through the rest of the year.
Thursday:
Venus , Jupiter, and Mercury again appear clustered within the Gemini Twins. Higher and much farther to the north is the lonely Regulus, within Leo. But Regulus will get much closer to Venus, forming a conjunction with the Evening Star in almost exactly a month from now.
Friday:
For night owls or early risers, the moon will rise in the east-northeast at around 3:15 tomorrow morning. About 35 minutes later, the Pleiades can be seen rising just below into the left of the moon. It will only be briefly visible, before getting overwhelmed by the first hints of morning twilight. A bit farther from the moon, and to its right, Mars will remain visible a little bit longer.