Today:
Facing north just after sunset, it might require an uncomfortable gaze to look nearly straight overhead, in order to see Ursa Major, “The Great Bear,” which appears to be hanging upside down. If you check back at around 2:30 AM, the bear seems to be diving toward the northwestern horizon. But by the predawn twilight, the bear looks like it’s coming in for a soft landing in the north.

Sunday:
Orion is now very low in the western skies, by the end of twilight, his feet along the horizon by 9:00 PM, with his belt only visible with a perfect view to the west and southwest. Orion’s stars are among the brightest in the sky because they are relatively close by. Our Sun is among millions in a minor band of stars in the Milky Way Galaxy called the Orion Spur.

Monday:
The northwestern skies in the evenings are home to Capella, the Goat Star. In mythology this is the nurse goat for the great Jupiter, and was rewarded with a place in the heavens. It shines brightly, one third of the way up from the horizon in the west-northwest at 9:15 PM, well to the right of the Twin Stars in Gemini.