The Moon slides between two bright stars of Leo tonight. They climb into good view in mid-evening, with Regulus, the lion’s brightest star, to the lower right of the Moon. Algieba, the third-brightest, is about the same distance to the lower left.

Two star clusters stand side by side high in the sky this evening. The clusters are at a corner of Perseus, the hero. Together, they are known as the Double Cluster. Binoculars or a telescope reveal dozens of individual stars.

Procyon is low in the east by about 8 p.m. and climbs high across the south later on. The star is the leading light of Canis Minor, the little dog, so it is nicknamed the Little Dog Star. It’s about 11 light-years away.

Gemini is in prime viewing time during these early weeks of winter. The constellation is low in the east-northeast at nightfall, and remains in view all night. Tonight, the Moon is passing through the constellation’s middle.