Look up before dawn: Mars is sliding through a jewel box of stars this weekend

Between October 9 and 12, Mars appears to drift across the Beehive Cluster — a glittering gathering of several hundred stars — and on the mornings of October 11 and 12 it sits nestled right inside it, visible with binoculars or a small telescope before dawn. The pairing is a trick of perspective — Mars isn’t anywhere near the cluster — but the view is real, free, and open to anyone with a dark sky.