THE 'Planet Parade' in the eastern sky before dawn continues, but after gathering close together over the past few weeks Venus, Mars and Jupiter are spread far apart now, like beads on a necklace. Venus remains a dazzlingly bright morning star, in the sky from 4am until sunrise.

Now is the best time of the year to see The Big Dipper, because it hangs just above the northern horizon, parallel to it, and really does look like a big starry spoon in the sky. The Big Dipper isn't actually a constellation though; it is in fact the rear end of Ursa Major, the Great Bear. the Big Dipper's crooked handle is the bear's tail, and fainter stars stretching away from the Big Dipper can be joined up to make the bear's legs and head.

Stuart Atkinson

Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal