Skies overhead are full of bright stars, and from time to time the moon and planets are visible, too. On occasion there is something special about the arrangement, like when things appear in pairs. This Monday night a thin crescent moon appears right next to the bright planet Venus. The two are in the southwestern sky just after sunset. They can be seen for about an hour as both are near the horizon and will soon set. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Scorpius, one of the southernmost zodiacal constellations.

On Tuesday night, the moon appears above Venus and farther away. The red star Antares, the principal star of Scorpius is off to the left, making all three into the shape of a large triangle.

For those who are up before dawn, on Tuesday the distinctly red planet Mars appears near the bright star Regulus. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Leo and easily visible high in the eastern sky before dawn and as dawn begins. Mars is clearly saphire red, while Regulus is a beaming blueish white.

The moon remains low in our southern skies for the upcoming week. It moves from Scorpus into Sagittarius. The two are the southernmost zodiacal constellations.

Deep in outer space, the moon is near the exoplanet Pluto on Thursday night. Pluto has resided in Sagittarius for many years. It is only visible to those with sensitive and powerful telescopes and the help of a star chart and a map of where the planet resides amid those stars.

M.A.L.