The moon and Mars appear as a pair tonight. Both are in the zodiacal constellation Gemini. Mars is a dull reddish color and appears to the right of the moon.

The gibbous moon moves up beside the brightly ringed planet Saturn on Monday and Tuesday evenings. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Leo. The bright star Regulus is nearby.

Mercury will be superbly placed for viewing in the nights ahead, above the western horizon about an hour after sunset.

The tides will be extreme this coming weekend, as the moon is both in the new moon phase and also close to the Earth.

The gibbous moon moves through the southern sky in the evenings ahead. On Monday night the moon appears right under the bright red star Antares in the zodiacal constellation Scorpius. Antares is one of the largest and distant stars visible in our evening sky. The star is 600 light years away, twice the distance astronomy books estimated 20 years ago. The star is 10,000 times more luminous than our own Earth. For purposes of comparison, if Antares were our sun, the star’s size exceeds that of Mars’s orbit. Antares is truly a big star. Among astronomers it is called a super giant.

The gibbous moon appears late tonight, low in the southeastern sky. The moon follows behind the bright planet Jupiter when it rises. The moon is two days past full and rises after 11 p.m. In the nights ahead, the moon rises even later.

The red planet Mars appears close to the bright star Regulus tonight and the nights ahead. The two are in the zodiacal constellation Leo and in the western sky after sunset. The glow of twilight will still be in the west.

After tonight’s fireworks, there is still plenty to see in the night. The planets Saturn and Mars are a close couple in the western sky. Mars is a dull red and it appears right below the yellow ringed-planet Saturn. Both are in the zodiacal constellation Leo and they are the two brightest objects in the western sky. The constellation’s brightest star Regulus appears under the two planets.

Two evening planets appear low in the southwestern sky after sunset. The bright yellow planet Saturn and the red planet Mars appear as a close pair. The two are less than one degree apart. Mars and Saturn may be close this weekend, but they part company in the nights and weeks ahead.

Tonight’s full moon resides in the zodiacal constellation Sagittarius and has a companion. The bright planet Jupiter is nearby. The two are a handsome pair and shine together through the night in the southern sky. For those venturing to South Beach, the two celestial objects will hang together, making the water sparkle underneath.