Given clear skies, almost everyone around the world will see the bright waxing gibbous moon in between the planets Saturn and Mars as darkness falls tonight (May 30, 2012). That's true unless you happen to be at latitudes close to the Arctic Circle and farther north as there is little or no nighttime in this part of the globe at this time of year.

Our chart at top shows the sky at nightfall for mid-northern North American latitudes. But the view will be similar at mid-northern latitudes all around the globe. Saturn and Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo, lie to the east of tonight's moon whereas Mars resides to the west of

the moon (outside of our sky chart).

As seen from northerly latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, Saturn and Spica shine to the left of tonight's waxing gibbous moon, and Mars to the right of it. That's because people at northerly latitudes are looking at the moon and planets in the southern sky this evening. When looking south - regardless of whether you're in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere - east is to your left (in the direction of sunrise) and west is to your right (in the direction of sunset).

However, if you are in temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, you will

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