If you'd like to see all the planets of our solar system, this is a good week to do so.
Step outside at dusk and you'll notice the most obvious of planets in the southwestern sky.
I'm referring, of course, to the dazzling planet Venus. It's a world about the size of Earth but shrouded entirely in light-reflecting clouds.
Midway up in the south-southwestern sky just after dark this week lies the planet Saturn.
Nowhere near as bright as Venus -- in fact, right now it's 145 times fainter -- its stunning rings make a good subject to view through a small telescope.
Now turn and gaze low toward the northeastern sky and you'll spot Jupiter. Though it may appear to rival Venus in brightness, it's actually four times fainter!
Only when these two planets appear close together in the sky -- as they will at dawn next August -- can we see just how much brighter Venus is.
If you wait a few hours after sunset, you'll be able to spot the Red Planet Mars rising in the northeast. Mars will reach its closest to Earth in mid-January and will then rise around sunset.
Two additional planets lie in our evening sky now: Uranus and Neptune.
Unfortunately, these are too faint to see with the unaided eye, but with a small telescope, a good finder chart and some patience, you could certainly see them as well.
So that takes care of Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
But where's Mercury? I'm glad you asked!
Mercury is the closest planet to the sun and, as such, moves fairly quickly around its orbit.
Only for a week or so every couple of months does it reach far enough from the sun's glare to be visible during either dawn or dusk.
If you'd like to see this elusive planet right now, you'll need to rise before the sun, because that's exactly what Mercury is doing this week. Look for it very low in the southeastern sky 30-45 minutes before sunrise.
Even though Mercury is pretty bright right now, its light must pass through so much turbulent air near the horizon that it sometimes can be a challenge to spot without binoculars.
Fortunately, the moon will be along to help.
On the morning of Dec. 27, the waning crescent moon will appear above and to the right of Mercury, and by the following morning it will lie just to the right of the planet.
The moon will be pretty thin and faint, so you may need binoculars to find these two in the brightening glow of dawn.
Don't be confused by the reddish-orange star shining immediately to the left of the moon on the 28th; that's the distant star Antares. Mercury will lie more to the left and will appear noticeably brighter.
But let's not forget the most important planet of all: our Earth!
As we on this tiny blue world complete yet another journey around our life-giving star, I want to wish each of my readers a wonderful holiday season and a happy, healthy and safe new year.