Friday night’s last quarter moon rises in the eastern sky near midnight. The moon is in the zodiacal constellation Libra. If you are up late enough, you’ll see the bright planet Jupiter rising in the east ahead of the moon. Jupiter is in the zodiacal constellation Virgo, and not far from the bright star Spica.

These three celestial objects, Moon, Jupiter and Spica draw attention to an area of the sky where there aren’t many bright stars.

The thin crescent moon appears near the bright planet Saturn on Tuesday morning, in the hours before sunrise.

The brightest planet in the western sky, Venus appears high in the sky after sunset. Venus is about as high as it gets in the evening. The planet will command attention for the next month, appearing high and setting late. But our view of Venus is limited. In late February, the planet recedes and appears lower and lower in the western sky. Venus disappears in our evening sky at the end of March.

Enjoy Venus now as it moves through the zodiacal constellation Pisces. Take note of the dull red planet Mars nearby. The two are fairly close.