This morning I was up a little after 6:00, and as I could see the moon shining brightly outside, I slipped my bare feet into my warm boots and went out to stand on the back deck at 6˚ to check for the planets. No Mercury because of our obstructed eastern horizon, but I spotted Venus, Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter strung out across the southern sky along with the moon and a few bright stars. The planets are not as tightly compacted as I thought they would be, but they are there from southeast to a high southwest.
I had not looked far enough west on my previous attempt, and I stayed inside then, which did not allow for a clear enough view of the fainter celestial objects. It was also a half hour closer to sunrise on that day.
