The red planet Mars is worthy of attention this month as it both grows in brightness and gets easier to see after midnight. The planet has spent much of the year in the morning sky and faint. In the weeks and months ahead, the planet will brighten and become more notable.

Mars is in the zodiacal constellation Taurus, not far from the bright star Aldebaran. Mars is reddish in color. Aldebaran is slightly orange and the brightest star in the constellation. Together this month, the two look like brother and sister. Next week, the two celestial objects will be closest together. Mars is the brighter of the two, but only slightly.

You must be up late to see them. The two will gain some height in the eastern night sky by midnight. The later you look, the higher the two appear.

Saturn and the Moon

The gibbous moon appears near the bright ringed-planet Saturn on Sunday night. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Capricornus.

The planets will get far more attention in the months ahead as they are higher and prominent in our night sky.