Late Tuesday night, the last quarter moon rises in the east at about midnight. The moon is in the zodiacal constellation Capricornus, a constellation we normally associate with autumn. The stories about this old mythological constellation vary depending on the source. To the Greek it is half goat, half fish — a sea goat. Other mythological stories describe it as a god with a goat’s head.

Capricornus is one of the fainter of the zodiac constellations. With the bright last quarter moon residing in the constellation, the stars glowing around the moon are fairly faint. The brightest of the stars are only third magnitude.

Planets

The brightest planets in our night sky, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn are readily visible. Venus hangs high in the western sky after sunset and is the brightest of the three. Venus is moving slowly through the zodiacal constellation Gemini. It will remain in our evening sky well into summer. The planet is 85 million miles away and getting closer.

Look immediately to the left to see Jupiter, in the zodiacal constellation Cancer. Jupiter is 483 million miles away and getting farther away.

The ringed planet Saturn rises in the east a short time after sunset. Saturn is in the southern most zodiacal constellation Scorpius. Saturn is getting closer and is 837 million miles away. Saturn will be closest to the Earth, in opposition, on May 22.