Stars in a Line

Saturday night evening walk, and we’re out by the cliffs near the river. I look to the west and see the bright light of Venus. I look higher to the east and see an-almost-half Moon that was below Venus at sunset a mere couple of days ago; it points to the Sun. Then to the east I see two satellites heading further east and disappearing, then another heading a different way. Nearby is the bright shining gloss of Jupiter. And above, higher in the sky, in a line between Jupiter and the Moon, is the smaller reddy-blue of Saturn. All of them in a line—Venus, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter—with the three stars of Orion’s belt off to the side.