For folks out on their boats this summer at early evening, e.g, twilight and later, there was lot to see that won’t be seen again after this year in some of our lifetimes. The Neowise Comet, visible in the western sky near dusk, the alignment (conjunctions) of Jupiter and Saturn, where both can be brightly seen in the western sky after dusk and through the early night, separated by a mere tenth of a degree (of arc). Finally, the extremely bright and vivid view of Mars in the eastern sky just after dark this past October making its closest approach of the next 15 yr. Add to those the lovely view of Venus as the Morning Star now appearing in the eastern sky before dawn. Anchored at Hen Rock at Catalina Island for several nights in October, I had a magnificent view of both the eastern and western skies where I viewed the planetary sights nightly. Gives one a perspective of the time before industrial-scale lighting. There’s still time to see. December 21, 2020 is the closest point of alignment for Jupiter and Saturn.
Last edited: