Venus

Watch for a close conjunction of a slim crescent moon and the brilliant planet Venus, high in the western sky after sunset this evening, if skies are clear. Just three days past new, the moon may show some "Earthshine" - a faint illumination of the dark portion of the moon, courtesy of sunlight reflected onto the moon from the day side of the Earth. With luck and clear air, you might also be able to spot tiny, star-like Mercury, well below Venus and to right, close to the horizon.

In Venus, Peter O'Toole's eyes still glitter with curiosity despite a body that's near-cadaverous and a face that's unnervingly skull-like. And that curiosity mingles splendidly with arousal when his character, the aging British actor Maurice Russell, claps those orbs on a sullen, barely literate teenager named Jessie (Jodie Whittaker). Maurice responds at once to the banked energy that some adolescents exude simply lolling on the sofa. Jessie responds in her own slow and surly way to his appreciation.

Stargazers want skies to clear quickly behind yesterday's cold front passage. At 9:15 tonight the full Hay Moon (or Thunder Moon) rises in the east over Baltimore. Turn around to see Venus and Saturn slow-dancing in the west, less than a degree apart (the width of your pinky held at arm's length). Venus is the very bright "evening star." Far-dimmer Saturn is sliding past, just above Venus, for the next few nights. They're a treat in binoculars or a small telescope. Jupiter gleams in the southeast.

Scientists and engineers who launched NASA's Messenger spacecraft in 2004 to study the planet Mercury are hoping to learn more about another planet - Venus - when their spacecraft soars by that cloud-shrouded world tonight. Among other things, they would like to know more about global warming on Venus and why the "greenhouse" effect has made that planet's atmosphere hot enough to melt lead, while Earth's climate has so far remained habitable. The $426 million, Maryland-built Messenger spacecraft will fly within about 210 miles of Venus' surface just after 7 p.m. It will use Venus' gravity to bend its course toward a first encounter with Mercury in January, according to mission managers at the Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory near Laurel.

A beautiful alignment of moon and planets will greet evening commuters and dog-walkers soon after sunset tonight if skies stay clear as forecast.A thin crescent moon, with brilliant Venus at its upper right, will be joined by the ringed planet Saturn in the western sky. Star-like Saturn will become visible midway between the moon and Venus as the sunset fades and skies grow dark between 6: 30 p.m. and 7 p.m.The large upper portion of the moon's disk not...

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- No. 16 seed Serena Williams moved into her third consecutive professional tennis final late yesterday afternoon, and then was in the stands last night at the Lipton Tournament when her older sister Venus pointed in her direction."

1992: "Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus"1994: Million-plus minivans sold in U.S.1998: FDA approves Viagra

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Venus Williams did her little victory dance and looked up into the stands where her sister, Serena, was cheering.The Williamses had reason to celebrate. With Venus' come-from-behind, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 quarterfinal victory over No. 4 Jana Novotna yesterday, the sisters remain on a showdown course at the Lipton Championships.But before they have a chance to meet, Venus, the No. 6 seed and defending Lipton women's champ, will have to take care of No. 7 Steffi Graf tonight, and Serena, No. 16, will have to dispose of world No. 1 Martina Hingis this afternoon.

Mystery AthleteThe Mystery Athlete likes to catch big air. Using the clues below, can you figure out who he is?The Clues: This Mystery Athlete likes to catch big air. Using the clues below, can you figure out who he is?1. The Mystery Athlete competes in one of the most extreme sports around.2. The Mystery Athlete's first name rhymes with "baloney."3. The Mystery Athlete's last name and the name of a "bird of prey" are the same.The Athlete's nameANSWER: Skateboard champion Tony HawkSuper SpeedstersSpeed is the path to victory in most sports.

SCENE 1: A brutally cold, red-desert planet rises to our left. The camera pans right, to another world set deep within a suffocating shroud of hot, poisonous clouds.Overhead, an ancient space station drifts across a starry sky. Its three nearly forgotten crewmen struggle to keep their decrepit outpost alive.Suddenly, a laser-like beam of light streaks toward us from a fleet of robot moons that patrol our own turbulent home in the galaxy.Sounds cool, huh? And you don't even have to buy a ticket to "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace."

If you can roust yourself from bed before dawn on a clear, dry morning next week, you might catch a glimpse of the elusive planet Mercury, very low in the east, before sunrise. The nearest planet to the sun reaches its greatest "elongation" on Monday, which means its highest point in the sky and out of the sun's glare. Look due east, between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., for a tiny point of steady light below bright Venus.

NEW YORK - -Serena Williams took only 53 minutes and committed only nine unforced errors in her 6-1, 6-1 second-round victory over 51st-ranked Melinda Czink of Hungary. It was an emphatic win, and it prompted Serena to do a little happy dance when it was over. That was in contrast to earlier in the day, when Venus Williams played her second-round match with her left knee heavily taped. That didn't stop third-seeded Venus from dispatching 124th-ranked Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 6-4, 6-2, and moving closer to an anticipated fourth-round encounter with 2005 Open champion Kim Clijsters.

Got an early wake-up Monday? Does the dog need a jog? Step outside just before dawn if skies are clear for a good look at the International Space Station as it makes a pass just a bit north of Baltimore. Watch for a bright, steady, starlike object rising above the northwest horizon at 6:17 a.m. It will climb to just north of straight up by 6:20 a.m., then pass between Mars and bright Venus before vanishing in the glare of sunrise in the southeast at 6:23 a.m.

Up early tomorrow with the dog? Step outside about 5 a.m. If skies are clear, look east for a fine, slender crescent moon rising just a few degrees north (left) of a brilliant planet Venus. To the right of Venus by the same distance is the bright star Aldebaran - the red eye of the bull in the constellation Taurus. Raise your gaze a similar distance above Aldebaran to find dim Mars.

On May 19, 2009 VENUS W. HARRIS; wife of Bobby Harris. She is also survived by her loving daughter, Vina Welch; parents, Gloria and Van Welch; sisters, Linda Green and Carolyn Welch; niece, Kim Welch and a host of other relatives and friends. Friends may visit the family owned March Funeral Home, West, 4300 Wabash Avenue, on Friday after 1 p.m. Family will receive friends on Saturday at St. Mark's Institutional Church, 655 N. Bentalou at 9:30 a.m. followed by Funeral Service at 10.

Out of questions, I asked my editor for one: Eileen Canzian was running in Druid Hill Park under a clear dawn sky Monday. She spotted a thin crescent moon over the city's eastern skyline. Beside it, to the right, was a bright, star-like object. When she sees such a morning or evening "star," she said, "I always assume it's Venus." Not this time. That's Jupiter, rising a bit earlier each morning.

Space cadets! Up early with the dog? Watch the International Space Station as it flies 220 miles over Baltimore early Saturday. It will rise in the northwest at 5:36 a.m., as bright as Venus, pass the Big Dipper and soar directly overhead at 5:39 a.m. From there, it slides off to the southeast, disappearing at 5:42 a.m. Please pick up after your pet.

Billie Jean King Cup 7:30 p.m. [HBO] Madison Square Garden hosts a women's tennis event carried live on HBO. Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and Serena and Venus Williams compete in a single-elimination format. The semifinal matches will be single-set with no-ad scoring. The final will be a regulation three sets. But, no, we don't know what King (left) was drinking out of the cup before she decided to award it.

If skies are clear tonight, look to the west after sunset as a very young crescent moon appears just to the left of the brilliant planet Venus. The moon will move a little bit farther east each night next week, standing just below bright Jupiter on Monday. Then watch Jupiter creep slowly closer to Venus all month, coming nearest on the evening of Dec. 1, in a spectacular triple conjunction with the crescent moon.

Space Cadets! Venus, Mercury and Mars gather this week in a tight cluster, low in the western sky after sunset. But Mercury and Mars are quite faint. And, they're all still deep in the sun's glare. You'll spot Venus first. She's quite bright, but demands a clear view. Mars and Mercury are close by to her left. Binoculars may help. Venus will become more obvious as the month passes, in the western twilight.