Tonight, look for a thin crescent moon in the southwestern sky soon after sunset. The moon is above the red planet Mars.

Remember last spring, when Mars was a brilliant red ruby in the sky? It has since lost its luster and is barely noticeable. But with the crescent moon an observer gets some help finding this faded red planet. Mars is under and slightly west of the moon.

The moon is slightly higher and farther south tomorrow night. Both Mars and the Moon are in the zodiacal constellation Sagittarius, one of the southernmost zodiac constellations.

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, appears high in the eastern sky at about 7 p.m. The planet continues to get closer and brighter. Jupiter reaches opposition early in December. It resides this winter in the zodiacal constellation Taurus.

Astronomers estimate that Jupiter is 381 million miles away, which is twice the distance of Mars. Even being so far away, Jupiter is a sentinel in the night sky, brighter than any other star or planet in the evening sky. Jupiter only gets upstaged early in wee hours of morning, when Venus rises in the east.

Venus and Saturn

The ringed-planet Saturn, which spent last summer in our evening sky, has reappeared in our morning sky. Saturn glows amid the light of dawn in the zodiacal constellation Virgo. Late this month Venus and Saturn will appear really close. Astronomers estimate that the two planets will be less than one degree apart in the last mornings of November.

Water temperature in Edgartown harbor: 51º F.