If the weather clears up a bit be sure to pop outside tonight for a look at the Moon and Jupiter. Separated by only 2 1/2 degrees, the two brightest objects in the night sky will make a lovely pair in the southeast sky after dark.

If the weather doesn’t clear up we can keep an eye on the news. Today the Messenger Spacecraft will be flying past the planet Mercury. This is the final flypast before the craft will go into orbit around Mercury two years from now. In previous flypasts the onboard cameras have returned spectacular images, and today they are scheduled to photograph some parts of Mercury that have never been seen up close before.

It’s an exciting day in the Universe!