Look to the Stars!

Jean Sexton writes:

Here at ADB, Inc., we are inspired in part by the dream of traveling to the stars. Some of us look at the Astronomy Picture of the Day: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ and are reminded of the glory and wonder of the universe. I live out in the country and have a decent view of the night sky. (When I moved out here and discovered the security light was burned out, I never had it replaced so I could see the stars even better.)

During this week, I have enjoyed looking to the southwest and seeing Venus and Jupiter in the sky at dusk. You can't miss them; they are brilliant--so bright they can be seen even in New York City. But starting tonight, the crescent moon joins them nearer to the horizon. Tomorrow, the moon moves closer and on Monday, December 1, the moon will be the closest yet, above the two planets. They will be only two degrees apart (if you hold your arm out, one finger will cover about two degrees of the sky).

I do intend to see this again on November 18, 2052, but just in case it is cloudy that night, I will watch this conjunction now.