The Geminids Meteor Shower, usually the largest meteor shower of the year takes place next Monday night.

We’ve missed the red planet Mars. For much of this year until late summer, Mars hung high in our southern and southwestern sky in the evening.

On Wednesday night the bright gibbous moon appears in the zodiacal constellation Gemini.

In the late evening of Thursday, Nov. 18, or more closely to Friday morning beginning at 2:18 a.m. the moon will noticeably appear to move into the Earth’s shadow.

The crescent moon and Venus will appear together as a pair low in the southwestern sky on Sunday night.

The best astronomical next week is in the early morning skies.