IF YOU'RE a planet-spotter this is a great time for you. After sunset there are no less than three different planets all lined up as twilight darkens the western sky - Venus is by far the brightest, with Jupiter shining across to its upper left and Mercury to its lower right, scraping the treetops. If you have trouble spotting it with your naked eye, sweep the north west sky with binoculars after sunset, looking for a copper-hued sequin - that's tiny Mercury.
As Venus sets, a fourth world can be seen in the opposite part of the sky. Face the east at midnight and you will see a golden star just above the horizon. This is Saturn, the famous Ringed Planet. You'll need a telescope to see those rings though, binoculars won't do, sorry. But in the summer Eddington Astronomical Society will be holding a Planet Watch up at Kendal Castle to show you them through our telescopes.
Stuart Atkinson
Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal.
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