The nearly first quarter moon appears close to the bright planet Jupiter and the bright star Aldebaran on the evening of Wednesday, March 5. All three are in the zodiacal constellation Taurus and they are only six degrees apart, an impressive triangle.

Aldebaran is the brightest star in Taurus, and it is known to be huge.

The two brightest planets in our evening sky are Venus and Jupiter. This is a good time to take note of both, for Venus is beginning to slide closer and closer to the horizon.

Venus is brightest, because it is both the closest and it is covered by clouds.

Jupiter is bright, because it is the biggest planet in our solar system. It is prominent in our night sky, in the zodiacal constellation Taurus. The planet is 484 million miles away and getting farther away.

Venus is getting closer to us and will be closest early in March, but not visible.

Today, Valentine's Day, is a good time to be thinking about Venus tonight. Step outside shortly after sunset and look to the west for the brightest celestial object in our night sky, Venus. Venus is a spectacle and astronomers report that it is at its brightest.

It's brilliance is tied not just to its closeness but we are getting to see a larger portion of the cloud covered planet.

Next Wednesday's full moon, the Snow Moon, will be in the zodiacal constellation Leo. Leo is a constellation we associate more with spring than winter. The brightest star in the constellation is Regulus, one of a few bright stars in that area of the sky.

A team of workers digging near Five Corners this week discovered a patch of toxic, contaminated soil that may force a major environmental cleanup of the Beach Road extension area.

Contractors hired by the Massachusetts Highway Department found soil contaminated with gasoline and oil while digging on Beach Road extension next to the Wintertide Coffeehouse. The contractors were working on a drainage pipe project from Beach Road to Vineyard Haven harbor when they made the discovery.

A thin waxing crescent moon will be visible so close to the horizon, you may miss it. The moon is a thin sliver. But right next to it you'll find a faint looking "star." It is the planet Saturn. The two are close together.

Easier to spot is the bright planet Venus above the two.

Look again tomorrow, Saturday night, and the show is even better. The moon is higher and right next to the planet Venus. The two are so close, so impressively close. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Pisces.

The brightest planet in the western sky, Venus is very close to the planet Saturn. The two are in planetary conjunction. It is easy to tell which of the two is Venus, but make sure you can see the considerably fainter Saturn nearby.

This weekend the two will separate, as though going their own way. Saturn is sinking lower and lower in the western sky in the nights ahead, while Venus appears to be stationary.

There are so many visible planets in our night sky. Step out into the early evening sky and you can get a view of most of them. Venus is low in the southwestern sky, next to it is the bright planet Saturn.

Look higher in the sky for Jupiter, unmistakable, the brightest visible planet other than Venus. Look to the east for the bright red planet Mars, now closer to the Earth than at any time in the last two years.

Monday night's full moon will be the highest of the year. The moon, also called the Ice Moon, will be in the zodiacal constellation Gemini. It rises in the southeast at around the time of sunset. Look outside around midnight and be dazzled by how high it is in our sky, almost near the zenith. The moon will be in the same constellation where our noontime summer sun appears in June.

Tonight a thin waxing crescent moon appears low in the southwestern sky, right above the bright planet Venus. Both are in the zodical constellation Capricornus.

Tomorrow night, Saturday night, the moon has advanced along the zodiac and will appear close to the bright planet Saturn. Both are in Aquarius. The two are particularly close, and hard to notice. Earlier in the evening, in Europe, people will have watched the moon occult Saturn. They'll see the moon actually pass over Saturn. But for us on the Vineyard, that will already have happened.