Venus and Mars will put on a show for early risers this month. The two "morning stars" have moved to within 3 degrees of each other above the eastern horizon and will keep very close company until July.

The mismatched duo of Venus, shining at a dazzling -- 4.4 magnitude, and Mars, shining less than one-hundredth as bright at 1.1 magnitude, now stands almost 15 degrees above the eastern horizon, one hour before the sun rises.

As the celestial dance between the two continues before sunrise this month, Mars will pass to within 2 degrees of the upper left of Venus by June 21, the morning of the summer solstice. By July 1, Mars will have danced to 4 degrees to the upper right of our dazzling bright sister planet.

Brilliant Venus is also impressive through a telescope this month. Stargazers can observe its crescent grow from half to gibbous phase. Mars, however, shows very little through a telescope until late autumn.