Tonight’s bright full moon appears so close to the red planet Mars. The two, rising in the east after sunset, are in the zodiacal constellation Capricornus. You won’t find a brighter pair for a while, especially because of Mars.

Mars is stunningly bright, because it is close. The planet is 36 million miles away, the closest it has been in 15 years. A rare event, for the remainder of July, now through August, Mars is even brighter than Jupiter.

The night sky is dramatic for those who love the planets in our solar system. Venus hangs high in the west after sunset. Look towards the south and there is Jupiter in the zodiacal constellation Libra. Then there is Saturn almost due south in the zodiacal constellation Sagittarius.