IT IS NOW possible to spot the planet Venus in the evening sky - but only if you have a really clear view towards the south west after sunset, and if the sky is really clear in that direction too.

Venus is often called 'Earth's Twin' but the only thing they have in common is size. On Venus it rains acid, the air is poisonous CO2, the atmosphere is crushingly dense, and millions of years of runaway global warming has left the planet a sweltering, rocky wasteland.

Venus will be a brilliant 'evening star' during the festive season, blazing like a lantern high in the west from sunset until late in the evening. But at the moment it is very low in the sky, and sets little more than an hour after the Sun, so spotting it is quite challenging. Any trees, buildings or hills in that direction will hide it from your view. Look for a silvery-white star just above the horizon. If your eyes don't pick it up, try sweeping that part of the sky with binoculars, but ONLY when the Sun has dropped completely beneath the horizon.

Stuart Atkinson

Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal