THERE have been quite a few lovely, clear evenings recently so I'm sure many of you will have seen a really bright star shining in the west after sunset, looking like a silvery spark, writes STUART ATKINSON. This star is actually a planet, the planet Venus, and at the moment it is particularly bright and well-placed for us to enjoy it, shining as an Evening Star for several hours before setting at around 11.30pm.

But Venus is not the only planet on view this week. Once you've found Venus, turn your back on it so you're roughly facing the east and you'll see another bright star low in the sky. This is the planet Jupiter, largest planet in the solar system, and this is just about the brightest it will be all year. Rising as the Sun sets, Jupiter will be visible all through the night. If you have a pair of binoculars you'll be able to see up to four of Jupiter's family of 69 moons: they look like tiny stars next to the bright planet itself.

In the early hours two more planets are visible. Mars and Saturn rise quite close together, also looking like stars, but Mars stands out because of its orange colour and Saturn, to Mars' right, has a more yellow-gold hue.

The International Space Station is back in the sky too, but in the hours before dawn rather than after sunset. So if you see a bright 'star' crossing the sky between 1am and 3am on any morning over the next week you're almost certainly seeing the space station.