THE recent poor weather has thwarted our attempts to observe displays of noctilucent clouds, but the NLC season runs through until the end of July, so any clear night between now and then keep an eye on the northern sky either side of midnight. If you see trails and wisps of electric blue light hanging above the horizon, you'll be seeing NLC.
This coming weekend we'll have a great opportunity to watch the Moon approach and then pass a pair of bright planets. If you've looked towards the south late in the evening recently you'll have seen Mars and Saturn shining close together there - Mars brighter and on the right, and Saturn, fainter and on the left. On Thursday evening the Moon will be shining to the upper right of Mars, quite close to it, and for the following three evenings it will hopscotch between and past the planetary pair.
By Friday evening the Moon will be shining to the upper left of Mars, and will then slide slowly between Mars and Saturn as the hours of Friday evening pass until, by the following evening, Saturday, it will have moved on to shine very close to Saturn, to its upper right.
By Sunday evening the Moon - now Full - will have drifted past Saturn and will be shining some distance off to the lower left of the Ringed Planet, but the trio will still be a beautiful and striking sight in the late evening and early Monday morning sky, strung out in a line, so cross your fingers for a clear sky to let you enjoy that.
Stuart Atkinson
Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal
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