New Moon Weekend Ahead

The coming weekend will take the moon to within a couple of days of new. Tomorrow's moonrise will occur around 3:20am... with an 18% illuminated waning crescent moon rising above the eastern horizon. This late rise and tiny phase will pair up to make this an awesome weekend for deep sky observers. The prime targets of the fall night sky have already moved into position. The Veil Nebula, Globular Star Cluster M15, The Andromeda Galaxy, The Double Cluster in Perseus... to name just a few.

As if that wasn't enough... the planet Mars is at its biggest and brightest for the next 13 years! Skywatchers are encouraged to head out shortly after sunset to see Mars rising a few degrees south of The Pleiades Star Cluster. Those of you with a telescope will definitely want to give Mars a little while to climb into a steadier part of the sky before planning any serious observations. After that, you should be in for quite a treat! Incredible details have been visible on the martian surface for the last several weeks