If you were one of the 100-plus people who hiked up to the castle last Friday night to ‘Wave At Saturn’ with us, I hope you enjoyed the evening, and the wonderful views of Saturn and its beautiful rings through our telescopes.
Saturn isn't the only planet on view at the moment. Look to the west around half an hour after sunset and you'll see Venus shining low in the twilight sky, looking like a silvery spark. Sweeping the sky with binoculars will help you find Venus, only do that after sunset.
Early risers can also see Mars and Jupiter shining together side by side, low in the east before sunrise. On the left, Mars looks like an orange star. To the Red Planet's right, Jupiter is blue white and much brighter. Your binoculars will show you up to four of Jupiter's largest moons (it has 63 in total. How greedy is that?) looking like tiny stars snuggled up close to Jupiter.
Stuart Atkinson
Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal
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