• In mid-September 2012, look low in the southwest as soon as darkness falls for the red planet Mars and bright ruddy star Antares. At mid-northern latitudes, Mars sets about two hours after the sun, while Antares follows the sun beneath the horizon an hour or more after Mars does. On September 15, you might also spot a fainter star near Mars, which shines a scant one degree from Zubenelgenubi in the constellation Libra the Scales. One degree is about the width of your little finger at an arm length. Although Zubenelgenubi looks like a single point of light to the unaided

eye, binoculars show it to be a double star - two stars in one.
• Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius, is brighter than Mars or Zubenelgenubi. If need be, use the brighter star Antares to locate fainter Mars. Mars resides more than two fist-widths away from Antares, the star depicting the Scorpion's Heart. Hold your fist at an arm length when making the measurement.
• Antares, Mars and Zubenelgenubi all will be a lot easier to spot from Earth's Southern Hemisphere this month. They appear much higher up in the western sky at nightfall from the southern part of Earth's globe, and they stay out much longer after dark.
• What's more, the Southern Hemisphere has a better chance of catching the planet Saturn and the star Spica, which are buried deep in the glow of twilight at more northerly latitudes.
• Looking ahead, the slender waxing crescent moon will swing close to Mars and Zubenelgenubi on the evening of September 19.

(Continued on page 12)