These next two nights - December 25 and 26, 2018 - you might see the moon and Regulus, the Royal Star, coming up above your eastern horizon before your bedtime.
On December 23, 2018, the moon is in front of the constellation Gemini, near its brightest stars Castor and Pollux. The next night, December 24, you'll find the moon farther from these stars but still near enough to help you find them.
Use the young moon to find Saturn after sunset on December 8 or 9, 2018. On December 9 and 10, the illuminated portion of the moon will be pointing toward Saturn.
Will you see Mercury near the moon on Tuesday or Wednesday morning? It's possible. If your sky is clear to the east before sunup, you'll surely see bright Venus!
Regulus is the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion, sometimes called the Lion's Heart. The moon is very near this star on November 28 and closer to the Tail of Leo on November 29.
Venus is now enjoying her glory days - her greatest brilliancy - in the morning sky. Venus is brightest throughout late November and early December. Look east before sunup!
Bruce McClure served as lead writer for EarthSky's popular Tonight pages from 2004 to 2021, when he opted for a much-deserved retirement. He's a sundial aficionado, whose love for the heavens has taken him to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia and sailing in the North Atlantic, where he earned his celestial navigation certificate through the School of Ocean Sailing and Navigation. He also wrote and hosted public astronomy programs and planetarium programs in and around his home in upstate New York.