Marj Ashcroft's mom lives in Towson, with a fine view of the night sky. "Looking southeast on clear nights about 9:15, she sees a bright object in the sky. ... I thought it might be a police helicopter. ... But through binoculars, they say it appears white, round and flat like a paper plate. They are very curious about what it is." Nothing so dull as a chopper. It's Jupiter, just past its brightest appearance of the year, drifting slowly each night from southeast to southwest.