The Stars This Week

Chart Time 9 p.m.

Sunday

The moon reaches first-quarter phase. This is a good time to search for craters and surface features with telescopes and binoculars. Gaze along the terminator the line that divides the lit from unlit portions for your best views.

Monday

The moon shines to the left of pale gold Saturn. The planet’s famous rings and largest moon Titan can be seen easily in small telescopes. Moderate-size telescopes will show a series of bands that cross its atmosphere.

Tuesday

Yellow Jupiter can be seen low in the west during evening twilight. Like Saturn the planet’s bans can be seen but they are much easier to see, requiring only a small telescope or binoculars.

Wednesday

The moon shuffles north of red Mars. The planet is still very bright but is beginning to dim and shrink in size as it slowly moves away from the Earth. You can look for dark markings on the planet’s surface and polar icecaps with your telescope.

Thursday

Blazing bright bluewhite Venus remains visible low in the west during evening twilight. The cloudy world is growing in size in telescopes as it nears the Earth. In the upcoming weeks you will be able to see the Venus featureless phase in binoculars.

Weekend

Mercury reaches conjunction with the sun. The innermost planet moves into the evening twilight sky where it can be seen in a few weeks. The famous landmark of the summer and fall the summer triangle is wellplaced high in the skies during September

Send your stargazing questions reports and experiences to Arnold Pearlstein at thestarsthisweek @gmail.com