This month, as dazzling bright Venus slowly climbs higher above the western horizon after sunset and Mars rides high above the southeastern horizon, a third planet has joined the celestial evening show in the eastern sky. That planet is Saturn, the second largest planet in the solar system.

This year marks the return of Saturn's rings. The last time Saturn appeared on the celestial evening stage was in September, when its rings were closing and nearly edge on. When Saturn goes into opposition on March 21, the rings will tilt 3 degrees. By the end of the year, they will have stretched out to 12 degrees.

An easy way to locate Saturn tonight is to look for a very full gibbous moon above the east-southeastern horizon at p.m. The ring world will be located about 6 degrees to the left of the moon and about 25 degrees above the horizon in Virgo. One clenched fist held out at arm's length toward the horizon equals about 10 degrees.

That's Fascinating, where Mark Roth spotlights the odd and the interesting in everyday life, is featured exclusively in the Opinion section on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.