The bright planet Venus is easy to find in the hour before sunrise or earlier. Venus also is higher in the east too. Look more carefully nearby and the second brightest object is the red planet Mars. These two planets are getting closer and closer together. By mid-March they will be less than 4 degrees apart.

The show continues this month with the fainter planet Saturn appearing farther east, but it too will join with the other two.

The crescent moon spends the weekend in the morning sky with two planets, Mars and Venus.

Take a look early tomorrow morning before sunrise to see the moon form an elongated triangle with the two close to the southeastern horizon. The moon is in the zodiacal constellation Sagittarius and easy to see. Look more easterly for the brightest planet Venus. Underneath Venus you’ll see the red planet Mars.

The scene is more interesting on Sunday morning, when a thinner crescent moon appears right under Mars. You’ll need a clear unobstructed view of the horizon to see all three.

It is an unusual event for those who love astronomy. We have no visible evening planets. Jupiter is so low in the southwestern sky after sunset as to be unobservable. Saturn disappeared late last month and is now hidden in the sun’s glare.

For so long we had Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Mercury and especially Venus hanging in our western sky. Now they are gone. All the action has shifted and will continue to shift to our morning sky.

Three planets shine together tomorrow morning before sunrise.

This weekend we’ll have extreme astronomical tides.

Next Friday morning you can see three celestial objects together in the southeastern sky before sunrise.

The community came to celebrate the opening and explore the new Chilmark School on Tuesday night. While the air outside was wintry, inside parents and children drew warmth from friendly teachers standing in their new classrooms. It was a first visit for most to the new facility.

School principal Kathy Collins was quick to show off the pride teachers and students were already feeling about their new building. The 44 students made their move into the school on Monday, Dec. 13th. Just a week later, the place was their daytime home.

The $3.6 million Chilmark School is done. No sooner had the contractor finished the work on Tuesday than school principal Kathy Collins and others began moving boxes into the new building.

The once dominant planet in our evening sky, Venus has disappeared and won’t reappear until late this month.

Three planets hover over the western sky tonight after sunset. We’ve all been watching the brightest of them all, Jupiter high in the western sky. Saturn is underneath and to the right. The harder to spot planet Mercury is right there to the right and lower than Saturn.

All three planets, Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury form a perfect line. If you can spot at least two of them you’ll be able to see the third in fairly close proximity.