Sunrise Sunset

Fri., Dec. 18 7:03 4:12

Sat., Dec. 19 7:04 4:13

Sun., Dec. 20 7:04 4:13

Mon., Dec. 21 7:05 4:14

Tues., Dec. 22 7:05 4:14

Wed., Dec. 23 7:06 4:15

Thurs., Dec. 24 7:06 4:15

Fri., Dec. 25 7:06 4:16

A thin crescent moon appears low in the southwestern sky tonight, after sunset. The moon will be low in twilight. More Vineyarders will see the moon tomorrow and thereafter as the moon appears a good deal higher in the sky.

On Sunday night the moon appears close to the bright planet Jupiter in the western sky. Both are in the zodiacal constellation Capricornus.

On Monday night the moon is even higher in the sky and appears above the brilliant planet.

There is a lot more to that part of the sky than most observers can see. This weekend Jupiter appears less than a quarter of a degree from the distant planet Neptune. You’ll have to be an experienced amateur astronomer with a telescope to see the two together. Jupiter is considerably bigger and brighter than Neptune.

Neptune appears as a faint blueish “star” in a field of many stars. Neptune is six times farther away from us than Jupiter. Jupiter is 520 million miles away.

Mars

The red planet Mars continues to brighten. It rises in the eastern sky after 10 p.m. and can be seen easily. There is not another celestial object in the eastern sky that matches both Mars’s brilliance and reddish color. Mars, 74 million miles away, is in the zodiacal constellation Leo.

M.A.L.