Good news! Since the last Skywatch Comet Ison has brightened considerably and has become a lot more active, so we're now more quietly confident that we'll be able to see it with the naked eye in early December. If all goes well from now on we might be enjoying the rare sight of a bright comet with a long tail shining in the eastern sky before dawn. More on that nearer the time. Until then, cross your fingers it doesn't fall to pieces as it rounds the Sun.

At the moment we have both an ‘evening star’ and a ‘morning star.’ You have probably already seen Venus hanging above the treetops in the west after sunset. Strikingly bright already, Venus is going to get even brighter in the next few weeks, so grab every opportunity you can to see it, it really is a beautiful sight, especially from a dark location.

Look to the east at around 6am and you'll see a bright morning star just starting to appear. This is the planet Mercury, and this is our best chance to see it for ages. It shines with a lovely subtle coppery colour as it glows in the pre-dawn sky.

Stuart Atkinson