On Sunday night the moon rises late in the evening. It is in the zodiacal constellation Gemini, a constellation we most often associate with the cold nights of winter. The moon is gibbous and for the week ahead moves through other constellations of winter: Cancer and Leo.

By late Wednesday night, the moon is in the last quarter phase. It rises near midnight and resides in the zodiacal constellation Leo, not far from the bright star Regulus.

The red planet Mars is getting more difficult to spot at dusk, as it appears lower in the southwestern sky. The planet is only visible a short time after sunset. Mars is in the zodiacal constellation Sagittarius, the southernmost constellation in the zodiac.

Mars is also distant, twice the distance from the earth than the sun, over 186 million miles away. That is three times farther away from us than when it was in opposition earlier this year. Last March the planet was 62 million miles away. Being a small and more distant planet, it lacks the shine it had earlier this year.

The easiest planet to spot is later in the evening. Jupiter rises in the eastern sky a few hours after sunset. Jupiter is brilliant and twice the distance from the earth than Mars. The planet is a giant, the biggest in our solar system.

Venus would be the easiest to spot, if it was convenient. Venus rises more than two hours before sunrise. The planet is high in the eastern sky at about 5 a.m. Directly below Venus you will see the bright star Spica, the brightest star in the zodiacal constellation Virgo.

Other than the moon, Venus is our closest neighbor. The planet is 126 million miles away.

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 61º F.