Re: What stars/planets do I see in the S. East and S. West night sky?

The brightest natural lights in the evening sky right
now are the planet Jupiter, and the star Sirius, better known
as the "Dog Star". Jupiter is in the Southwest after dark,
and sets below the horizon by 11pm. As we move into March, it
will gradually set earlier and earlier, until by mid-April it
is setting in the evening twilight! Before then, though, you
have the chance to see TWO planets for the price of one: go
out in the mid-evening any time in March, and hold your fist
out at arm's length. If you rest the bottom of your fist on
Jupiter, you will see a somewhat fainter, vaguely yellowish
"star" peeping just above the top of your thumb: this is the
other Great Gas Giant of the Solar System, Saturn!

Now for that bright, blue-white object sparkling down in the
South*east* during the evening: as I said, this is the Dog
Star, called that because it forms the head (and by far the
brightest star) in the ancient Greek constellation known as
"Canis Major" - the Great Dog. Sirius the Dog Star is in fact
the brightest star in the entire sky: as you watch during the
Spring months, Sirius will be seen further and further to the
Southwest at mid-evening. It is a pretty Southerly star, so
it NEVER gets higher than about one-third of the way up the
sky as seen from MI. By the way, if you look toward the upper
right of Sirius on March evenings, you'll notice one of the
best known star patterns in the sky - Orion the Hunter. You
can be sure you're seeing Orion, by looking for three bright
stars in a row right in the middle of him - these stars form
the "Belt of Orion". Happy stargazing!