IT HAS been quite a while since so many planets were on view in the sky. Lantern-bright Venus still dazzles in the west after sunset, with fainter, redder Mars shining to its lower right. If you have binoculars, look for a fainter, green-hued star beneath Mars - that's the distant planet Uranus.

Right after sunset, directly opposite that trio of western worlds, you'll see Jupiter shining high in the east. It is now visible all night long, and dominates the sky.

Now, after far too long an absence from our skies, Saturn is joining the party too. However, you need to get up before dawn to see it glowing low in the south-east, looking like a golden 'star.' You need a telescope to see its rings, unfortunately.

Next Friday morning a solar eclipse will be visible across the whole of the UK. We'll be in Abbot Hall Park to watch it from 8am. Full details will be in next week's Skywatch!

Stuart Atkinson

Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal