In the Sky This Month

The crescent Moon and Venus, the “morning star,” will peek through the dawn twilight early tomorrow. They are quite low in the east about a half-hour before sunrise.

Messier 3, a ball-shaped cluster of hundreds of thousands of stars, is high in the east at nightfall. It stands to the upper left of the bright star Arcturus, by a little more than the width of your fist held at arm’s length.

Hercules climbs into good view in the east and northeast a couple of hours after sunset. His torso is outlined by a lopsided square of stars known as the Keystone.

Alphard is the brightest star of Hydra, the water snake, which wriggles most of the way across the southern sky as darkness falls. There are no other bright stars close to it. In fact, the name Alphard means “the Solitary One.

Corvus and Crater roll across the southern evening sky at this time of year. Corvus, the crow, resembles the sail of a boat, while fainter Crater, the cup, looks like a faint goblet. Both constellations sit on the back of Hydra, the water snake.

Hydra, the water snake, is the largest of all the 88 constellations. It winds about a quarter of the way around the entire sky. And right now, the whole thing is in view after about 11 p.m., when its tail snakes into view in the southeast.

Saturn is in great view late tonight. The solar system’s second-largest planet looks like a fairly bright star close to the Moon as they climb into sight in the wee hours of the morning, and even closer to the Moon at first light.

The giants of the solar system will flank the gibbous Moon at dawn tomorrow. Jupiter, the king of the planets, will stand to the right of the Moon, with fainter Saturn the same distance to the left of the Moon.

Look for the planet Jupiter quite close to the Moon late tonight. Jupiter will rise just below the Moon, after midnight. It looks like a brilliant star. They will be even closer at first light.

Antares, the leading light of Scorpius, will perch close below the Moon at first light tomorrow. The brilliant planet Jupiter will stand well to their left.