The moon slips into our evening sky in the coming week following New Moon on Sunday. It is moving from the zodiacal constellation Aries into Taurus. On Thursday night, the crescent moon crosses over the star cluster Hyades, the head of the Bull.   

Have you ever heard the phrase “the moon holds water?” This is the time of year when the crescent moon is positioned in a way that it looks like it can hold water between the cusps, between its horns.

To think of it another way, while the moon is setting, it looks like it is lit from below.

A moon that can hold water is yet another symbol of the shift in our season. In the earliest years of farming, growers used a number of signs in the sky to transition from season to season, including the moon’s position in the sky.

Jupiter and Mars

The planet Jupiter, the brightest in our night sky, is overhead after sunset. Jupiter is in the zodiacal constellation Gemini.

The red planet Mars rises in the east a few hours after sunset. Mars is a glowing ruby, and it is nearing opposition. It is closer to the Earth than it has been in two years.

Other than the Moon, Mars is our closest neighbor. The planet is only 56 million miles away. For comparison, the sun is 93 million miles away.