In between the clouds and storms, you may have noticed that the night sky still shines brightly.

The beautiful planetary parade continues through the end of the month, with special guest Mercury joining the pack soon. Mercury is a hard planet to view since it’s so close to the Sun, but it manages to sneak in there, very low on the horizon, with Saturn soon.

This past week, the moon made another appearance, appearing to cozy up to each planet as it moved across the sky.

Next up is Mars.

The moon becomes full on Wednesday, Feb. 12. This month, the moon is known as the “Snow Moon,” which makes sense this year.

Venus also shines brightly in the western sky right after sunset. At -4.6 magnitude, it is the second brightest object in the night sky after the moon.

Coming up next month will be a total lunar eclipse. A total lunar eclipse is also known as the “Blood Moon” because the shadow takes on a reddish color. This happens on the night of March 13-14, just after 2 a.m.

Night owls or early risers – this one is for you!