Sunrise Sunset

Fri., August 17 5:51 7:38

Sat., August 18 5:52 7:37

Sun., August 19 5:53 7:36

Mon., August 20 5:54 7:34

Tues., August 21 5:55 7:33

Wed., August 22 5:56 7:31

Thurs., August 23 5:57 7:29

Fri., August 24 5:58 7:28

A thin crescent moon will appear low in the southwestern sky on Monday night. The moon is three days old; only those with an unobstructed view of the southwest will see it soon after sunset.

On Tuesday night it appears higher in the sky and close to the planets Mars and Saturn and the bright star Spica. The four celestial objects form a trapezoid. Mars is the reddish one. Spica has a more bluish tint, while Saturn has a yellowish color. The two planets and the star are near equal brightness.

The moon is about 232,000 miles away. Mars is 158 million miles away, and Saturn is 920 million miles away. Spica is so far away, astronomers measure its distance in light years — this distant planet is 262 light years away.

The moon will be in its first quarter on Friday, August 24, and is in the zodiacal constellation Libra, nearing the nearby constellation Scorpius.

The bright planet Jupiter rises well after midnight. Jupiter is in the zodiacal constellation Taurus and is the brightest planet in the East until around 3 a.m. The brightest planet in the sky, Venus, rises in the east soon after 3 a.m. Venus is a spectacle in the early morning sky at dawn.

M.A.L.