TO QUOTE a certain Game of Thrones character: Winter is coming. And if you needed more proof of that than the sight of Christmas cards and decorations in the shops (although, ridiculously, they've been in some charity shops since the end of July!) all you have to do is look towards the north east around 10pm on the next clear night. There you'll see a small knot of silvery-blue stars which looks like a mini version of the Big Dipper. This is the Pleiades star cluster.
The Pleiades is nicknamed The Seven Sisters, because people with good eyesight can make out the seven brightest stars in it (binoculars and telescopes show dozens more). It is one of the highlights of the winter sky, and come December will be visible all night. But right now, as autumn gets into its stride, it rises up from behind the treetops and hillsides late in the evening.
Before the Pleiades rises we can still see orange Mars (left) and gold-hued Saturn (right) shining relatively close together, very low in the south west after dusk. You might need a pair of binoculars to pick them out, and any trees or buildings in that direction will hide them from your view, they're so low in the sky.
Stuart Atkinson
Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal
Attached: Photos of the Pleiades star cluster, taken by S Atkinson recently from Old Hutton, outside of Kendal.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here