These dull cloudy days of late winter can have quite an affect on some peoples' moods.
Daytime people mourn the loss of the sun - and stargazers grieve over the loss of the stars.
But when the clouds do clear and the night skies are asparkle with stars, the spirits of those who take joy in the heavens take flight. This month is an especially good month to enjoy rare breaks in the clouds. Venus is absolutely gorgeous right now. It's shining at magnitude -4.6, the brightest it can get. It sets a good three hours after the sun, moving from high in the west-southwest to set in the west shortly after 9 p.m. Sharp eyes can see Venus well before the sun sets.