The Moon is sliding east along the ecliptic this week; on November 2, it lies less than 2° from Mars in the early-morning sky. Credit: Stellarium/USGS/Celestia/Clementine

Friday, October 30

Take a peek over at Pisces this evening before moonrise to look for its famous Circlet asterism of stars. You can find this star pattern easiest by first finding Saturn, the brightest point of light in this part of the sky, which stands about 30° high in the southeast by 8 P.M. local daylight time.

With Saturn in sight, cast your gaze to the planet’s upper right and look for a large, circular formation roughly 7° wide, consisting of seven stars that stand out among the fainter points of light. The northernmost star in this grouping is 4th-magnitude Theta (θ) Piscium. From this star, moving clockwise, the Circlet contains 7, Gamma (γ), Kappa (κ), Lambda (λ), 19, and Iota (ι) Psc.

The Circlet’s easternmost star, 19 Psc, is also called TX Psc. Study this star with binoculars or a telescope and note its deep red color.…