The bright planet Saturn is slipping away from us. The planet commanded attention throughout the end of last summer and into autumn. It is now taking a backseat to the affairs of the winter sky. Saturn now slightly fainter resides low in the southwestern skies after sunset. A thin crescent moon appears above and near Saturn this Sunday night. Both are in the zodiacal constellation Aquarius, a constellation we associate more with autumn than winter.

Four nights later, look again, Thursday night. The waxing moon will be larger and in fairly close proximity to the brightest planet in the evening sky, Jupiter. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Aries, one of the smallest constellations in the zodiac. The moon is entering in one of the brightest stellar places in the night sky. For the remainder of the week and the coming weekend, the moon crosses thorugh the Milky Way, passes by Taurus, the Bull; crosses near Gemini and appears above the constellation Orion, the hunter.