That is really cool, @glenwit! It's always fun to experience unexpected night sky surprises like that.  

How fun, @glenwit! Meteors are always fun, but to see one (or two) while driving is even better.

Your walk the other morning sounds very enjoyable, @jo. Your prose made it easy to see the sky you were describing.

As it happens, I was out shortly before 7 am the previous morning, and saw Venus for the first time in several weeks. It is sinking fast.

To catch low objects in the east, I have to walk several blocks to an area that has slightly better viewing, so I walked there hoping to see Mercury. I was able to spot Altair and Antares, as you were, but there was no sign of Mercury (still too many trees in the way). It was rather cold (temperature -19C) with a brisk wind, so I cut the time short.  By the time I returned home at 7 am, twilight was rosy in the southeast and Mercury would have been washed out for me. A later check of the star charts on heavens-above indicated that Mercury was just rising when I was looking for it, so my chances to see it this apparition are slim (it will have a favorable evening appearance in late March, however).

Posted by: @stargazer

I was out shortly before 7 am the previous morning, and saw Venus for the first time in several weeks.

Beautiful!

Too bad Mercury wasn't in view, but good to hear the late March appearance will be favorable!  

After a winter of 99% cloudy skies at night, tonight the clouds were swept away just prior to my walk (6 pm), which revealed a brilliantly clear sky. It was dusk turning into twilight, so not everything was visible when I started out—just a few of the brighter ones: Sirius, Capella, Betelgeuse, Rigel. But then as night darkened, stars began popping out everywhere! Given the fact that this is one of the only clear nights in the past nearly three months, this was a huge treat.

I had to get my bearings as to where everything was now: Gemini in the eastern sky; Orion majestic in the SE; Jupiter high in the SSW; Cygnus setting in the NW; the Big Dipper low in the North. And then, as a lower western view opened up near the end of my walk (as well, the sky had finally darkened there), I saw Saturn glimmering as it set in the WSW.

I swim tomorrow morning, but will get out for an early walk Sunday morning, well before sunrise. I hope to spot Mars then, just to the lower left of bright Venus, but I'm not sure about Mercury. I need to be at my best viewing position must after 7 a.m., and I'm usually back home by then, but I will adjust things this time, so as to hopefully see the elusive Mercury rising in the SE. 

Does everyone here have a planisphere?  I own at least three of them including an acrylic star wheel that I have on the top of my bookcase.  They are very nice (the acrylic one is like a piece of furniture), but they do have a disadvantage in that the sky is presented on a flat surface. The constellations are somewhat distorted, although they are still recognizable. A star globe is more accurate, but you have to picture the sky as it looks inside the sphere or the constellations will appear backwards. It is difficult to represent the sky accurately on something that is so much smaller and is a man made object. But these guides to the night sky are certainly helpful in finding objects.  🙂

Posted by: @narnian78

But these guides to the night sky are certainly helpful in finding objects.  

They most certainly are! The one we own is the "Guide to the Stars":

We have had this Planisphere for decades and still use it regularly. When we did a lot of canoe trips/wilderness camping as the kids were growing up, this was so handy to bring along, plus it is extremely light, very durable, and not at all bulky.

Currently, after any one of my walks, when I am unsure of a particular star, I will arrive home and go right to the Planisphere to check it out. Such a huge, informative help!

However, at the same time, as I learn more and more about the night sky, I am having to use the Planisphere a bit less than I used to. Still, I will always be learning, so it will continue to be a very handy tool for years to come.  

@jo 

This is one of the planispheres that I have owned for many years https:

Amazon.com: Miller Planisphere Star Finder, Size Large - Model 40 Degree - for latitudes 35N to 45N : Pet Supplies

l like it because it is exactly the right size (not too big or too small) and it will stand up to all kinds of weather being made of very durable plastic.

I also have this one, which I think was made in the UK, but I purchased it at a planetarium here in Michigan many years ago:

Philips Planisphere - Latitude 42 N. USA.: Philips: Amazon.com: Books

I have seen the one that you have shown here in book stores and online. It looks very nice and I’m sure it is very easy to read. 🙂

For some reason, @narnian78, that graphic is not showing up. (Or maybe this is just at my end??)

This morning's walk was akin to October, when we usually receive our first major frost. It was so beautiful out. -8C / 17.6F, with a bit of a windchill, but not bad at all. A perfectly clear, crisp morning. Cygnus was rising higher in the eastern sky; the waning crescent Moon fit in beautifully at the top of Scorpius, almost as if it were part of the constellation. Antares was sparkling clear. This graphic (S&T) was my view this morning, Feb. 4. With Venus shining very brightly low in the SE, the sky was a stunning sight!

That was near the beginning of my walk, around 6:30. As I went on westward, I looked up and saw the Big Dipper high above, pointing to Arcturus and Spica. Low in the NW were the prominent stars of Gemini, Pollus and Castor, then off to the right, low in the sky was Capella. Always wanting to learn more about the night sky, I saw an odd shape lower in the west—an off-centered square—so when I arrived home an hour later, looked it up on our Planisphere, and discovered it was a constellation I had never heard of: Corvus.

As I turned back eastward and headed towards my best eastern sky vantage point (by the Old Silo), the band along the horizon was already deep red in the dawn's early light. Over the course of the next half hour, this changed to a rich orange, then, as the sunrise grew nearer, a brilliant yellow. I followed Venus over that time, really hoping to see Mars, then possibly Mercury, but with no success. Not even Mars. That yellow light from the not-yet-risen sun was so bright that all was washed out. As the light grew, the Moon was of course still very visible; I could even catch a wee glimpse of Antares, but that was tricky. Vega stood out high in the east.

Then it was time to head home. I had been out for 70 minutes—such an invigorating walk, and especially wonderful to be able to view the clear night sky. "The heavens declare the glory of God" I think again and again as I walk under those sparkling heavens.

I will try again on Tuesday morning to spot Mars, with Venus and a thin sliver of the Moon, plus Sagittarius rising in the SE.  

Does anyone here own a star globe or celestial globe?  It has the constellations on it, and it is shaped like a sphere. If you buy a large one it is usually very expensive (over $100 or more).  I have a small one which is only about five inches in diameter which I have owned for many years (it was only about $20 when I bought it).  Of course you have to imagine the sky as it appears from the inside of the globe.  But it does help in understanding the concept of the celestial sphere. I have seen star globes that have models of the earth inside them.  They would be good for teaching astronomy, although most people probably don't own them. But they are more accurate and have much less distortion than planispheres and flat star maps.

@jo

I edited my previous post with different links which show the Miller and Philips planispheres that I own.  I hope the links will work for you. Thanks so much for your interest! 🙂

We don't own a star or celestial globe, but they sound interesting. (Yes, the link(s) works now, thanks!)

Another stunning walk this morning (615), with the temperature about the same as yesterday, 7 or 8 degrees below freezing, and quite still. You can simply re-read my post above to discover all that I reveled in in the night sky ... and I still did not spot Mars. That glow on the band of the SE horizon is so bright. I will keep trying!

I did see two short, fast meteors, both zooming from east to west, to the right of Arcturus and Spica; to the left of Leo. I don't think there is an official meteor shower now, so they must be strays from somewhere. It's always wonderful to be surprised by meteors!

@Narnian78, I've never owned a star globe but agree they are attractive. S&T has also sold globes of the Moon and Mars.

I learned the stars using a very simple, black-and-white planisphere a few decades ago. It was very basic, on simple card stock, but it's led to years of enjoyment of the sky. I may have it around somewhere still, but it would be close to 60 years old now.

These days I don't use one; I'm familiar enough with the sights in my light-polluted sky to identify them. The occasional trip to a place with dark skies leads to a few moments of reacquainting myself with old friends.

Now, my go-to is the interactive star chart on heavens-above.com. Set to my location and time, it's a reliable reference tool and hovering on an object will give details like name, magnitude, spectral type, distance, and coordinates (both RA and declination, and altitude and azimuth). And by changing the location, it allows views of the sky from other places, like the Southern Hemisphere.

@jo, we've had a few nights of clear skies, and I've enjoyed seeing the crescent Moon and Venus in the pre-dawn sky. Mars is so faint that it may be up to a month or more before I can pick it up. I like seeing Orion in the evening sky without shivering in -40 wind chills (we've set yet another record high today and several more are likely this week, with rain possible Thursday night).

This article from Wikipedia has some interesting history of the celestial globe:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celestial_globe

It is an imaginary sphere, but it can teach you a lot about the real heavens and the positions of the stars and their constellations. 

For those whose viewing plans for the April 8 solar eclipse are still up in the air (pun not resisted), Delta Airlines is offering a special eclipse-viewing flight from Austin, Texas to Detroit, to maximize the time spent in the umbra (totality). The plane offers extra-large viewing windows.

https://news.delta.com/eclipse-viewing-30000-feet-delta-offer-path-totality-flight

I've just got back to the UK from Australia and yesterday afternoon, looking up at the sky, I found myself thinking "How come the Moon is waning gibbous when just last week it was waxing crescent??? ... Oh yeah, it's upside down again."   

Three weeks to totality!

The Sky & Telescope website has a variety of useful articles, including these more-recent ones:

https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/what-will-the-weather-be-on-the-day-of-the-total-solar-eclipse/

(A discussion of trends the past few months along the track of totality. It's looking more promising in the Midwest, but, as they say, on any given day the weather remains uncertain).

https://skyandtelescope.org/2024-total-solar-eclipse/how-to-see-the-diamond-ring-effect-during-a-total-solar-eclipse/

(The diamond ring effect is one of the most spectacular parts of the experience, along with the corona itself, but lasts only seconds at the beginning and end of totality. Photographing it safely can be a challenge).

Two weeks (and change) to go. I've been watching the moon in the evening as it's waxing. Kind of like a timer. "The next time you are a new moon will be the eclipse!"

Unfortunately with this eclipse, I failed to book a place two years ago and by the time I checked last year everything was either booked already or it was $1000/night. Our plan A is going to be staying with my aunt in the northwest part of Arkansas, but she's outside the line of totality so we still have to drive a ways the day of. I'm so terrified of being stuck in traffic afterwards with a bunch of kids in the van. But it's not main highways so maybe it will be less awful. (I still remember the google maps after the 2017 eclipse....)
If the weather in Arkansas looks to be poor, our Plan B is to get up at a ridiculously early hour the morning of the eclipse and drive down to Texas, but the more and more I read about Texas, that sounds like a terrible idea what with the governor already declaring a state of emergency because everyone else is doing the same. 
As of now, Accuweather is showing partly cloudy in both places, so maybe we'll just go to Arkansas and hope for the best. @stargazer, your weather forecast site is far more positive. I hope it's correct! However, if by next week the weather doesn't look good, we're not going to compete with the masses and just have to watch online. Disappointing, but that's just life.