Weekend Diversion: A Planetary Special for the Morning People

"If you're going to do something tonight that you'll be sorry for tomorrow morning, sleep late." -Henny Youngman

Normally, the best wonders of the night sky -- stars, planets and beyond -- happen, well, late at night. But every once in a while, it's actually the very early morning sky that holds the greatest sights. Just make sure you get up before -- as David Grisman and Tony Rice might tell you -- your sky is ruined by the
Morning Sun.
Why's that? Well, if you look to the East, just before sunrise, you might see a sight like this:

(Image credit: Luis Argerich.)
Well, what do we have here? Highest above the horizon, rising about 45 minutes before the Sun, are Venus (the bright one), in a waxing, nearly full phase,

(Image credit: Stellarium.)
alongside a somewhat dimmer Mercury, the most challenging planet for astrophotographers.

(Although when it's caught, it can be incredibly rewarding, as it was for astronomy.com member Aratus, who posted his image here.)
Now, Mercury and Venus, as the nights go by, are on their way down, as they head behind the Sun as seen from Earth. But coming up, higher and higher as the days ...