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See the Moon Pass Venus!<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Tuesday, March 20, 2007<\/i><\/font>
On the first few evenings of the waxing Paschal Moon, watch as it approaches and passes the bright Evening Star - Venus! Check out the Moon and Venus on the evenings of Tuesday and Wednesday, March 20 and 21. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

The Crescent Moon Passes Venus<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Wednesday, April 18, 2007<\/i><\/font>
As the Moon moves through its monthly cycle, it passes by all visible planets. On the evenings of Thursday, April 19 and Friday, April 20, the crescent Moon will pass the bright evening star Venus. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

The Half-Moon Passes Saturn<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Wednesday, April 18, 2007<\/i><\/font>
The Moon will approach Saturn on the evening of Tuesday, April 24. At this time, the Moon is at First Quarter and will be a half-moon hanging in the sky to the right of Saturn. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Observe Venus approaching Gemini<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Friday, May 11, 2007<\/i><\/font>
During May, Venus is increasing in elongation, which means it is appearing farther away from the Sun with each passing night. But since the Sun still advances through the zodiac constellations, Venus is moving quickly in the general direction of Gemini. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Close Lunar Conjunctions of May, 2007<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Friday, May 18, 2007<\/i><\/font>
The young crescent Moon will again reappear in the evening sky this weekend. The slim horns of the waxing crescent Moon will pass near Venus on the evening of Saturday, May 19. The waxing Moon will draw near the planet Saturn and will be at its closest conjunction on the evening of Tuesday, May 22. The next evening, Wednesday, May 23, the Moon First Quarter half-moon will be very close to the bright star Regulus in the constellation Leo. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Jupiter at Opposition - June 5, 2007<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Thursday, May 31, 2007<\/i><\/font>
Jupiter will reach opposition on Tuesday, June 5, when it is opposite in the sky from the Sun. At this time, the Earth is in between Jupiter and the Sun. At opposition, Jupiter will be rising in the east as the Sun is setting in the west.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Blue Moon?<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Thursday, May 31, 2007<\/i><\/font>
We\'ve all heard the expression "once in a blue moon," taken to refer to a rare, uncommon event. However, the common explanation for this term is not as traditional as one might believe.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Venus at Maximum - June 5, 2007<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Thursday, May 31, 2007<\/i><\/font>
Venus will reach its maximum eastern elongation on June 9. At this time, Venus will be at its greatest apparent distance from the sunset, as seen from the skies of Earth.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

June Conjunctions<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Saturday, June 16, 2007<\/i><\/font>
All through the spring we\'ve been reporting on the monthly conjunctions of the Moon and the bright planets visible in the evening skies. Now that Jupiter has joined Venus and Saturn in the evening sky, all three of the brightest planets can be seen at a glance after the Sun sets.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

The Moon Passes Antares and Jupiter <\/b><\/a><\/font>
Tuesday, June 26, 2007<\/i><\/font>
On the evening of Wednesday, June 27, the waxing gibbous Moon will draw near to the star Antares, and will also be close to Jupiter. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Conjunction of Venus and Saturn <\/b><\/a><\/font>
Tuesday, June 26, 2007<\/i><\/font>
Venus will draw closer and closer to Saturn, and will make their closest approach on the evening of Monday, July 2. In the following evenings, Venus will pass Saturn as this slower moving planet drops toward the sunset with the constellation Leo.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Goodbye to Venus and a Rare Sight Down Under<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Wednesday, August 01, 2007<\/i><\/font>
It may be possible for some observers to see Venus at inferior conjunction on the evenings and mornings of August 17 and 18, which is an extremely rare event. Not only that, but Venus should be visible before sunrise and after sunset, which would be unique indeed, since Venus would then appear as both a morning star and an evening star!<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Morning Lunar Eclipse - August 28<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Friday, August 24, 2007<\/i><\/font>
There will be a total eclipse of the Moon before sunrise on the morning of Tuesday, August 28. This early morning sunrise eclipse will be visible from most of North America, except for New England, most of Quebec and the Maritime provinces.
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September 1 -- Meteor Storm? <\/b><\/a><\/font>
Friday, August 24, 2007<\/i><\/font>
There is a prediction that the Aurigid meteors might put on a spectacular show on the morning of September 1, 2007<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Eclipse Reports With Photos<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Wednesday, August 29, 2007<\/i><\/font>
Reports and pix of the August 28, 2007 lunar eclipse from Update readers.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

The Moon Passes Jupiter and Antares<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Friday, September 14, 2007<\/i><\/font>
Keep your eye on the crescent Moon as it draws toward Jupiter and Antares, making its closest pass on Monday and Tuesday evenings, September 17 and 18, 2007. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Earlybird Special! Venus and Mars<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Friday, September 21, 2007<\/i><\/font>
In the fall of 2007, the bright planets Venus and Mars are currently sharing the morning sky with the famous constellation Orion.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Comet Holmes Mailbag<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Friday, November 09, 2007<\/i><\/font>
Comet Holmes is all the buzz in astronomy circles this month. Here are some of the sighting reports we\'ve received from Update readers. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Don\'t Miss Comet Holmes!<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Friday, November 02, 2007<\/i><\/font>
A little known comet known as Comet Holmes has returned dramatically to the night sky. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Another Season of Mars<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Wednesday, December 12, 2007<\/i><\/font>
The bright planet Mars is now visible in the evening sky, passing through the constellations near Orion. As you observe Orion rising in the east in the evenings of December, see Mars as it passes through the stars of the constellation Gemini. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Still More About "Holly\'s Comet"<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Friday, November 23, 2007<\/i><\/font>
Here\'s an early report of the "rediscovery" of Comet Holmes.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Conjunction of Mars and the Full Moon<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Wednesday, December 19, 2007<\/i><\/font>
There will be a close alignment of the Moon with the bright planet Mars on the night of December 23\/24, 2007.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Venus Passes Jupiter in the Mornings!<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Wednesday, January 23, 2008<\/i><\/font>
If you\'re up before the sunrise in late January, 2008, be sure to look to the southeast where you will see the bright planets Venus and Jupiter. These bodies are approaching each other and will meet in an uncommonly close conjunction on the morning of Friday, February 1. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Lunar Conjunctions - February 2008<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Monday, February 11, 2008<\/i><\/font>
As the Moon passes through the zodiac constellations each month, it passes near all the visible classical planets. Here\'s a roundup of what you can expect to see this month, so write these on your calendar!
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Saturn Returns to the Evening Sky<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Monday, February 11, 2008<\/i><\/font>
In 2008, the planet Saturn is now passing among the stars of Leo and can now be seen rising with this constellation. Saturn will reach opposition on Sunday, February 24, when it will be opposite the Sun, rising in the east as the Sun sets in the west.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Total Lunar Eclipse - February 21<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Tuesday, February 19, 2008<\/i><\/font>
It\'s eclipse time again! On the night of Wednesday, February 20, there will be another total eclipse of the Moon favoring North and South America and also western Europe and Africa.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Eclipse Reports With Photos<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Monday, February 25, 2008<\/i><\/font>
We received many reports and photos from Update readers following the lunar eclipse.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Saturn and Leo in the Spring of 2008<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Saturn passes through the constellation Leo in the spring of 2008.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Saturn, Mars and Venus in the Summer of 2008<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Friday, June 06, 2008<\/i><\/font>
The planets Saturn and Mars are visible in the western sky after sunset during the evenings of June. Venus will reappear in the western sky as the Evening Star over the span of the summer.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Conjunction of Saturn and Mars<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Saturday, July 05, 2008<\/i><\/font>
Mars will make its closest approach to Saturn on the evening of Thursday, July 10, when the two bright planets will be separated by only one and a half Moon diameters. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Jupiter Returns!<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Saturday, July 05, 2008<\/i><\/font>
The dazzlingly brilliant planet Jupiter returns to the evening sky in July, 2008. You can\'t miss Jupiter in the night sky, since it is the 4th brightest object in the sky, following the Sun, Moon and Venus. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Jupiter Rules the Evening Sky<\/b><\/a><\/font>
August 28, 2008<\/i><\/font>
That blazing celestial blowtorch Jupiter is currently dominating the evening skies. You can\'t miss Jupiter if you go out on a clear evening this month. It is the very bright "star" hanging low in the southern sky. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Venus, the Moon, and Antares - October 31<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Friday, October 24, 2008<\/i><\/font>
This month, on the evening of Friday, October 31, the Moon lines up near the bright first magnitude star Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius, not far from bright Venus.
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Venus and Jupiter Approach Through November<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Friday, October 24, 2008<\/i><\/font>
Keep watching Venus and Jupiter throughout the fall. Throughout November, Jupiter and Venus will appear to draw closer together. Finally, on the evening of December 1, Venus and Jupiter will make their closest approach, and will be a pair of glittering celestial jewels adorning the evening sky in the fading twilight.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Venus, Jupiter, and the Moon - December 1<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Thursday, November 27, 2008<\/i><\/font>
On the evening of Monday, December 1, the bright planets Venus and Jupiter will be close together, and joined by the waxing crescent Moon. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Venus, Jupiter and the Moon Again<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Tuesday, December 30, 2008<\/i><\/font>
The waxing crescent Moon is now in the evening sky, and will make its closest approach to Venus on New Years Eve, December 31. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Saturn\'s Rings Edge-On<\/b><\/a><\/font>
2009 is an uncommon year in the cycle of Saturn. Every 15 years, or twice in each 30 year cycle of Saturn\'s orbit, the Earth crosses the plane of Saturn\'s rings. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Observe the Retrograde Motion of Mars this Winter!<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Once every two years, faint Mars blazes forth into brilliance, approaching or even surpassing Jupiter in brightness. In late 2009, we are entering another season of Mars\'s brightening, as Mars approaches opposition on the evening of January 29, 2010.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

The Retrograde Motion of Mars<\/b><\/a><\/font>
November 8, 2009<\/i><\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

Venus Returns to the Evening Sky<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Monday, March 08, 2010<\/i><\/font>
Venus will now be visible every clear evening of the spring and summer, and will disappear again into the sunset in the fall, passing between the Earth and the Sun on October 29.<\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr>

The Station of Mars<\/b><\/a><\/font>
Monday, March 08, 2010<\/i><\/font>
Mars is stationary on March 11, 2010. In astronomy, the "station" is the place in the sky where a planet briefly stops and reverses direction. The station can also refer to the date on which this occurs.
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The Spring Planets<\/b><\/a><\/font>
The bright planet Mars has been a regular feature in the evening sky since January. Mars has been moving away from the stars Castor and Pollux in the constellation Gemini, and is currently heading toward the constellation Leo. Keep your eye on Mars high overhead on spring evenings this year as it will pass near Regulus, the brightest star in Leo, on June 6, a conjunction of these two celestial bodies. <\/font><\/a><\/font><\/td><\/tr><\/table>');