Today:
Any clear evening throughout the year, you can use the outer two stars of the Big Dipper’s bowl, and extend a line from there “up” from the bowl to find Polaris, the North Star, which appears anchored due north, and half way up in the skies. It actually remains there because it is directly above our North Pole.
Thursday:
Dark evenings tonight and tomorrow will offer a chance to see the Andromeda Galaxy, the most distant object human eyes can see. Look in the east-northeast for a slightly curved line of three stars, angled a bit up on the right end. From the middle star, go up to fainter stars, and then look for a faint puff of light. Binoculars will help.
Friday:
Over the next few mornings, early risers might see Comet Nishimura, just visible to the unaided eye, between 5:15 to 5:45 tomorrow morning, its tail angled up and right, away from the Sun. It is near the “sickle” of Leo, the Lion tomorrow morning, and above the Lion’s hind-quarters by the 13th.