The two largest planets in our solar system, Saturn and Jupiter, command our late evening sky. Jupiter rises in the east more than an hour after sunset. Jupiter is in the zodiacal constellation Virgo, and close to the principal star Spica. Jupiter dominates as the hour gets late, getting higher and higher in the sky.

The ringed planet Saturn rises in the southeast near midnight. The planet resides in our southern sky, in the zodiacal constellation Scorpius.

On Monday night you can see Saturn joined by the last quarter moon. The two are close. For the rest of the evening, the planets stay low in the southern sky.

Venus is now low in the southwestern sky after sunset. The planet is harder to see and along with it three other planets. Mars is red and appears above Venus. If seeing distant planets were easier, you’d be able to see the elusive planet Mercury and the distant planet Uranus, all nearby. All four planets hug the western sky at sunset and within two hours, they set behind the sun.