In the wee hours of tomorrow morning, soon after midnight tonight, the near quarter moon and the planet Jupiter will rise together in the east. They are a pair in the zodiacal constellation Gemini, a constellation associated with the depth of winter, when the air is frosty and nights are long.

Jupiter is the brightest of planets in the late night sky. It is also the largest in the solar system. Jupiter will continue to be better placed for viewing in the weeks ahead. 

By November, Jupiter will be rising in the east at 9 p.m.

Those who are up early Monday morning, the crescent moon appears near the red planet Mars at around 4 a.m.. The moon and Mars are between the zodiacal constellations Cancer and Leo, two constellations normally associated with spring.

The brightest planet in the west, soon after sunset, is Venus.

With only a few days left in September, it is pretty clear this is one of the driest months so far this year. The National Weather Service cooperative station has recorded less than a third of an inch of rain. The weather has been spectacular with temperatures often getting into the 70s. The ocean water temperature is still warm, in the mid 60s.