On Thursday, Sept. 8, look toward the southwest at 7:45 p.m. to find the nearly first quarter moon just above Scorpius the Scorpion. The moon is a good pointer to Saturn which sits 3 degrees below the moon and only 6 degrees above bright red Antares at the heart of the Scorpion.
While the moon will dim the sky, contrast the yellow/white color of Saturn with the red color of Antares. Ten degrees to the left (east) of Saturn and Antares sits Mars, which is at the apex of a triangle whose base is formed by Saturn and Antares.
Contrast the red color of Mars with the red color of Antares. Mars is somewhat past its brightest appearance for a while, but it still is spectacular. Antares is always spectacular, particularly when you realize it is a supergiant star near the end of its life. It is one of the largest stars known and will end its days spectacularly as a supernova sometime soon, astronomically speaking, which could be tonight or thousands of years from now.
Friday night the slightly past first quarter moon will have moved farther east with Ophiuchus the Serpent Holder above, Sagittarius the Archer to its left (east), and Scorpius below it. The moon will dim these constellations, but keep them in mind for viewing later when the moon is gone from the sky.
