This Sunday morning there is a treat for those who rise early enough before sunrise. A thin crescent moon joins the planets Mars, Saturn and the brilliant planet Venus. The three planets form a tight triangle. Venus appears right above the planet Saturn and ruby red Mars is to the right.

The moon is just visiting. If you miss the opportunity, you can look Monday morning, however the moon will be a good deal closer to the horizon and more of a challenge to see.

Even without the moon, the three planets are close enough to be a big enough performance, which means you can enjoy the triangle into the month of April. Each planet has a distinct color, different from the others. As close as they all appear together, their distance from us varies considerably.

The red planet Mars is 167 million miles away. Venus is closer at 70 million miles away. Saturn is just short of a billion miles away, or 930 million miles away.

The moon is only about a quarter of a million miles away, or 229,000 miles away.022.