VENUS is now a beautiful 'Evening Star,' so bright as darkness is falling that it is simply impossible to miss. Look to the south west around 5pm, quite low, and you'll see a lone silvery-orange star there above the treetops, shining with a steady light. That's it, that's Venus, and as the sky gets darker it just appears to get brighter and brighter until it is dominating the sky by 5.15pm. At that time you'll be able to see a fainter, more reddish-hued star to Venus' upper left. That's a planet too - Mars.

This coming weekend Venus and Mars will have company in the south western sky - the Moon. Between Saturday and Monday the crescent Moon will move towards, between and then past them, each night the trio making a beautiful sight in the darkening twilight.

On Saturday evening (December 3) you'll be able to see a beautiful, slim crescent Moon shining just above Venus. The pair might even fit in the same binocular field of view, making a breathtaking sight. On Sunday night (December 4) the Moon's crescent will have grown larger and it will have moved on to stand between Venus and Mars. Come Monday evening (December 5) the Moon will have moved on even further to shine close to Mars, on its left. On this evening you should look for the space station getting in on the act too, slowly drifting past all three distant worlds - first Venus, then Mars and finally the Moon - shortly after 6pm.

Stuart Atkinson

Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal