Saturday night, the moon appears near the ringed-planet Saturn. The two appear as a pair in the constellation Scorpius, one of the most southern constellations in the zodiac. The two will shine together for most of the night. Both will set in the east well before sunrise.

There is a third bright object, the reddish star Antares. The three form a triangle. Antares is a signature star in the southern skies. But with the planets Saturn and Mars in the vicinity, Antares has been significantly upstaged.

Mars is to the west of all these celestial objects. It is the bright red planet not too far away.

First Day of Summer

We can all welcome summer on Monday. The official and astronomical start of summer starts at 6:34 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time. Say goodbye to spring with all of its chilly nights and the occasional threat of frost. Martha’s Vineyard clearly had its fill with spring, with a lagging winter. Old Man Winter clung to the very edges of the spring season. There were days and nights that reminded us of just how close winter can be in May.