Sunrise Sunset

Fri., Feb. 24 6:24 5:25

Sat., Feb. 25 6:23 5:26

Sun., Feb. 26 6:21 5:28

Mon., Feb. 27 6:20 5:29

Tues., Feb. 28 6:18 5:30

Wed., Feb. 29 6:18 5:31

Thurs., March 1 6:17 5:31

Fri., March 2 6:15 5:32

The crescent moon appears in our evening sky this weekend, and in the nights beyond. Tonight the moon appears underneath the bright planet Venus, and it gets even better tomorrow night when the two are closer.

The crescent moon appears right next to Venus tomorrow night. On Sunday night the moon appears above Venus and near the bright planet Jupiter. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Aries. By Tuesday night, the moon has advanced along the zodiac and appears in the constellation Taurus. The moon is near the star cluster Pleiades.

Mars is an easy planet to see, rising in the east at about 9 p.m. The planet is brilliant red. It may not be as bright as Venus or Jupiter in the east, but its color and brilliance stands alone.

Mars is in opposition on Saturday, March 3, only 62 million miles away. The difference in brightness between this weekend and next weekend is imperceptible, so grab the moment and take a look at this nearby planet. Mars is in the zodiacal constellation Leo.

In 2003, Mars was even closer — 34 million miles away.

M.A.L.