Q-90.1's Backyard Astronomer

About 90 minutes after sunset, look about halfway up the eastern sky for a beautifully bright blue-white star.

The planets Mars and Mercury make a close approach to each other in the sky this week

The planet Jupiter makes its closest approach to Earth this month, and that means it will shine a little brighter than usual.

During the month of June, one of the most distinctive constellations is Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, because it lies high in the sky early in the evening.

The bright planet Jupiter is making its return into the evening sky this month.

One distinctive little springtime constellation to look for is Corvus the Crow.

This period in May is a good time to see some bright stars close to the western horizon.

The waxing crescent and first quarter phases are a great time to see details on the Moon.

In spring, the Big Dipper climbs high into the north, making it an excellent guidepost in the sky.

The Moon is now making its way through the morning sky, slipping farther east relative to the stars each night.

One of the most recognizable groups of stars in the night sky isn't actually a constellation, but a part of the larger group Ursa Major.

The stars of Cancer the Crab are quite dim, but point your binoculars this way and you'll see a cluster of stars called the Beehive.

During the couple of hours after sunset or before sunrise, dozens of satellites can be seen as slowly moving dots across the sky.

This week, the Waning Moon greets a line of bright planets in the morning sky.

This week, the Gibbous Moon grows into a Full Moon on March 20. Some Native Americans referred to it as The Worm Moon.

The Moon is back in the early evening skies this week, reaching first quarter in the south on March 14.

This week, the early evening skies will be dark and full of stars. A beautiful star cluster called "The Little Beehive" is among many of the fine objects you can find in binoculars.

Under a clear, dark sky, you can see one of the lesser known constellations, Lepus the Hare, being chased by Orion the Hunter.

This month will see the closest full moon of the year on February 19.

With no Moon in the sky, you can see one of the most famous deep sky objects this week.