The three out of four closest planets to the Sun have all but disappeared from our view. It is just easier to say they are gone for a while.

 

Venus, which used to dominate the morning sky and glow like an airplane coming in for a landing at dawn, has dropped from the sky. The planet is so close to the glare of the sun as to be out of our view.

 

The two evening planets, Mars and Mercury, are also so close to the glow of the setting sun as to be out of our view. In two months, though, the position of the planets will dramatically change.

 

Venus will soon appear late in August as an evening planet. The red planet Mars will shift to the morning sky. Mercury will continue to bounce back and forth between morning and evening sky.

 

What planets can you see tonight? Jupiter is in the southern sky. Jupiter is brilliant and you can’t miss it, in the zodiacal constellation Scorpius. Take a careful look to the east of Jupiter. Not far away is the ringed-planet Saturn, in the zodiacal constellation Sagittarius.