First an announcement and then a look back at the skies

Before we get to the skies, I have an announcement. The miracle of modern science and medicine has determined that I have Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, in the King's English, ALS, or more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Two things are known about ALS, one, it is fatal; two, there is no known cure.

For the present time, we are not sure what is going on, however, I intend to continue this column as long as possible.

Since I have lost my ability to use my left hand and cannot type, my wife, Janice, is typing for me as I dictate the words.

Now to the skies.

I hope you have been following the rather exciting Mars, Saturn, and Antares grouping in the South these past few evenings. Tonight, Wednesday, Aug. 24, the trio will be in an almost straight vertical line in the southwest. They are still near the head of Scorpius, the Scorpion, with Saturn on top, Mars in the middle, and Antares on the bottom.

If you have missed observing these three because of cloudy skies--or just plain forgot--they will be close together until the end of the month.

They will be best observed an hour to an hour-and-a-half after local sunset.

These three are not the only objects making a trio in the evening sky. On Wednesday, August 24th, another trio will make a nice grouping in the west just after local sunset.

Jupiter, Venus, and the elusive Mercury are currently very nice binocular targets as they make a triangle.

Jupiter, the King of the planets, is to the upper left, tiny Mercury to the lower left, and bright Venus on the right. The trio will be best observed a half-hour after local sunset. Binoculars will be essential to pull Mercury out of the bright glow of the sunset.

You might still have an opportunity to catch Mercury on Thursday, but don't get your hopes up.

For this one mark your calendar, Saturday, Aug. 27, Jupiter and Mercury will be very, very close together in the evening sky, less than one-degree apart. A full moon is one-half-degree wide. It will be a great sight in binoculars.

If you are up for it, and are a morning person grab your binoculars and be outside about an hour before local sunrise looking east for a very slender crescent moon floating very near the red giant star Aldebaran in Taurus, the Bull.

Since you are up early looking at Aldebaran and the moon, shift your gaze down below to our old friend Orion, the Hunter. Orion is the King of Winter, and he is giving us a look at things to come, even though autumn has yet to start here in the northern hemisphere.

Just to the left of Orion look for the two bright stars marking the head of Gemini, the Twins, another sign of the coming winter.

I had hoped to discuss some of the jewels in the southern Milky Way, but planetary triangles just got in the way. We'll do that next week.

SKY WATCH: Third-quarter moon today, Wednesday, Aug. 24.

NEXT WEEK: Off the diving board of the scorpion's tail, and more astronomical blathering.