Saturday's full moon still carries a lot of punch when it comes to brilliance. You’ll see it rising in the east, a short time after sunset. Tonight’s moon resides on the edge of the zodiacal constellation Taurus, but it looks more like it is just above Orion, the hunter, the most familiar constellation of winter. Orion is easy to spot with its three evenly spaced stars, running diagonally across the body of the hunter. The three stars depict the hunter’s belt.

Later Friday night, the moon appears a good deal higher in the sky. You may notice that the moon is bright enough to cast a shadow. Though moon shadows are possible throughout the year, in late fall and winter they are easier to notice. Why?

The full and gibbous moon are higher in the sky than in summer. By midnight Friday the moon is not far from our zenith. Winter nights are longer and without foliage on trees, moonlight penetrates many places it doesn’t touch in the summer. High overhead, the moon can cast a shadow across a downtown sidewalk.

A snow covered landscape makes finding the moon’s shadow easiest of all. Both the snow and the shadows have a dull, blueish tint.

In the week ahead, the moon passes through the zodiacal constellation Gemini and appears even higher in the sky than it does tonight.

If you are up quite late Thursday night, take note. You’ll see the moon close to the brilliant planet Jupiter. Both are in the zodiacal constellation Leo, a constellation we most often associate with spring.