• If you're an early riser, up and about an hour or two before sunrise, look eastward to see the dazzling planets Venus and Jupiter. You can't miss them. They are the two brightest planets visible in Earth's sky, and Venus is now nearly as bright as it will get for this morning apparition. Plus skywatchers around the world have noticed a little star near Venus. Although it pales in comparison to the sky's brightest planets and although it's somewhat drowned in predawn twilight now, it's really one of the brightest stars in Earth's sky. It's Aldebaran, which repre

sents the Eye of the Bull in the constellation Taurus.
• Venus outshines Aldebaran by over a hundredfold. Meanwhile, the blazing planet Jupiter - above Venus and Jupiter in the east before dawn - is about 15 times brighter than Aldebaran, yet only one-ninth the brightness of Venus. You should be able to see Aldebaran next to Venus with the unaided eye, but, if not, try your luck with binoculars or a low-powered telescope.
• You can also see a star cluster in Taurus above Venus, Aldebaran and Jupiter. This dipper-shaped cluster is the Pleiades, also known as the Seven Sisters.
• Venus shines at its brilliant best as the morning "star" throughout July and for the rest of this year. Jupiter and Aldebaran, though, will rise earlier each day and soon leave Venus behind in the dawn, as they slowly shift into the evening sky.
• If you look at Venus through the telescope right now, you might be surprised to see that this world looks like a miniature version of the crescent moon. Tomorrow morning before sunrise (July 9, 2012), you'll find Venus a little less than one-quarter

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