This Week's Night Sky: See Saturn Shine as Lord of the Rings
Saturn will appear as a cream-colored star to the naked eye, and telescope users can gaze at its sunlit rings.
The moon makes several planetary visits throughout the week, while on Friday, Saturn reaches its closest point to Earth for the year.
Face the northwestern horizon—you'll find Mercury sitting about 10 degrees below and to the right of the moon, equal to about the width of your fist at arm's length. The faint, little planet will be a bit tricky to find, though, because it is very close to the horizon, only about 7 degrees altitude. To pick out the star-like world, use binoculars to scan the sky below the moon.
The following evening, Thursday, the cosmic show continues with the moon rising even closer to and to the left of Venus. The two objects will appear about 9 degrees apart, but
