SUNSET: 
This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 16 – 24
Now the waxing crescent Moon is easier to see in the west-southwest after sunset. Its curved side points the way down toward Venus.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 9 – 17
Sirius the Dog Star blazes in the southeast after dinnertime, the brightest star of Canis Major. Orion stands high to its upper right.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 2 – 10
The Winter Hexagon fills the sky toward the east and south these evenings. Start with brilliant Sirius at its bottom. Going clockwise from there, march up through Procyon, Pollux and Castor, Menkalinan and Capella on high, down to Aldebaran, then to Rigel in Orion's foot, and back to Sirius.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 26 – February 3
The Moon, two days past first quarter, shines to the right of Aldebaran and lower left of the Pleiades. The Great Square of Pegasus is sinking in the west.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 19 – 27
Sirius twinkles brightly below Orion in the southeast. Around 8 p.m. Sirius shines straight below Betelgeuse in Orion's shoulder.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 12 – 20
Friday, January 12 • Sirius, the Dog Star, rises in the east-southeast around the end of twilight now, if you're near latitude 40° north (New York, Denver, Madrid, Athens). From such latitudes, Procyon — left of Sirius, by 2½ fists at arm's length — precedes it up; "Procyon" is from…
This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 5 – 13
Orion strides up the southeastern sky after nightfall in January. Above it glitters Aldebaran. Above Aldebaran are the Pleiades. Far left of them shines Capella.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 29 – January 6
In the evening sky tonight, look lower left of the waxing gibbous Moon for Aldebaran, and upper left of the Moon for the Pleiades.
What to See with Your New Telescope During 2017 Holidays
Maybe you just got a shiny new telescope to call your own. Congratulations — you could be on your way to discovering many amazing, far, deep things in the night sky. Although most of them are so far and faint that just locating and detecting them is the challenge! Whether…
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 22 – 30
Sirius, the Dog Star, sparkles low in the east-southeast after dinnertime. Procyon, the Little Dog Star, shines in the east to Sirius's left.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 15 – 23
As the Summer Triangle sinks in the west, Altair is the first of its stars to go. Start by spotting bright Vega in the northwest at nightfall. The brightest star above it is Deneb. Altair is farther to Vega's lower left.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 8 – 16
Astronomy is an outdoor nature hobby. For an easy constellation guide to the evening sky, use the map in the center of Sky & Telescope magazine.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 1 – 9
Now that the Pleiades and Aldebaran are up in due east, can Orion be far behind? Orion's entire iconic figure, formed by its brightest seven stars, takes about an hour and a quarter to cross the horizon below them.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, November 24 – December 2
When Fomalhaut is due south, you'll always find the first stars of Orion beginning to rise in the east, and the Pointers of the Big Dipper due north below Polaris.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, November 17 – 25
As twilight fades, look low in the southwest for Saturn and Mercury.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, November 3 – 11
The full Moon of November always rides very high in the middle of the night, almost as high as the full Moon of December.
November Occultations of Aldebaran & Regulus
The Moon occults two 1st-magnitude stars for much of North America just six days apart. The first event happens mostly in early-evening darkness, the second in broad daylight — an extra challenge for the adventurous.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 27 – November 4
Saturn, in southern Ophiuchus, glows low in the southwest at dusk this week. It's the only bright planet in evening view.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 20 – 28
Look northeast in the starry sky these evenings. Capella shines low and brightest. Upper right of Capella, and upper left of the Pleiades, the stars of Perseus stand astride the Milky Way.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 13 – 21
Want to become an amateur astronomer? First, learn your way around the constellations! They're the key to locating everything fainter and deeper to hunt with binoculars or a telescope.
