There was a lot of fuss made on the TV last week about the 'grand alignment of planet' visible in the morning sky at the moment. Lots of very impressive looking computer graphics were shown, giving the impression that the pre-dawn eastern sky is ablaze with planets as bright as lanterns, all clustered closely together. I wish!

Unfortunately, the reality is rather different. Yes, there are five planets 'on view' in the sky before dawn, but only two - Venus and Jupiter - are strikingly bright. Two of the others - Mars and Saturn - look just like stars, and Mercury is so faint, and still so low as dawn approaches that finding it before sunrise is a real challenge. But don't let that reality check put you off. It's still a fascinating and rare sight, so visit our website (given below) for charts and observing tips.

Another challenge is spotting a comet in the evening sky. Comet Catalina so faint you'll need binoculars to find it, and you do that by sweeping them around the area of sky directly to the left of the Big Dipper's 'bowl.' Look for a small misty star, which looks oddly out of focus compared to the others around it, and that's the comet, fading now but still worth a look.

Stuart Atkinson

Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal

website: http://eas-online.org.uk/