IF the clouds clear at all this coming weekend, there are two fascinating things to see in the sky. First of all, and most obvious, is Venus, currently blazing in the south-west after dark as a beautiful "Evening Star".

Now that Venus is already high after sunset, and still quite high as the sky grows dark enough to see stars too, we're seeing it at its best. Clearly visible to the naked eye from the middle of a town, even with all the light pollution there, Venus looks even lovelier from somewhere really dark.

Having seen Venus, look over to its left, towards the south east, where the well-known constellation of Orion is visible. You can't miss Orion, it famously has a Belt of three blue stars tied around its waist.

Orion is in the astronomical spotlight at the moment because one of its stars has faded dramatically over recent months. Look to the upper left of the Belt and you'll see an orange star, called Betelgeuse.

More than 600 light years away from Earth it's a naked eye star, but it is usually a lot brighter than it is now, almost as bright as the blue-white star in the opposite corner of the constellation's hourglass shape. Betelgeuse will explode one day, becoming so bright in the sky it will cast shadows. That's not going to happen any time soon, but this current dimming is fascinating astronomers around the world, so take a look for yourself on the next clear night, just so you can say you've seen it.