The only two visible planets appear high in the southeastern sky an hour or more before sunrise. Jupiter and Mars are easy to find. They are separate but will gradually get closer together in the weeks ahead. Jupiter is in the zodiacal constellation Libra.

If you are up early Saturday morning, a thin crescent moon appears just above the horizon before sunrise, well below the planets. Next week, the moon shifts to the evening.

Of the two planets, Jupiter is the easiest to spot, being by far the brightest. Mars is above and more southerly. Mars has a distinct reddish color that will continue to brighten well into the New Year.

The first day of winter is only a few days away. Winter officially begins at 11:28 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 21. Daylight is a minimum. If you value the length of daylight, you’ll notice that sunsets will take place later in the afternoon for the rest of the month by only a few minutes.