If the weather is clear on Wednesday evening (March 13), check out the western sky around mid-twilight — about an hour after sunset. There, about one-third of the way up from the horizon to the overhead point, you'll see an eye-catching sight: A lovely, thin crescent moon, 18 percent illuminated by sunlight — and situated about 3 degrees to the left of this slender lunar sliver will be a brilliant silvery white "star."
This isn't a star, but the planet identified with the supreme sky-god, Jupiter. To judge how far apart they will appear in the sky, recall that your clenched fist, correctly held, will measure about 10 degrees. So, you can use your fist to make a reasonable estimate of degrees either horizontally or vertically. In this case, both moon and planet should appear separated by about one-third of the width of a fist.
