WITH these darker evenings comes the opportunity for some spectacular stargazing.
This week the sun sets before 7pm and the sky gets dark enough for stargazing around 8pm. If you head out away from streetlights, and let your eyes adjust to the darkness, there’s a lot to see.
READ MORE: Glenlivet Estate's 'dark sky status' to be announced 'before end of year'
Two planets are visible low in the south around 8pm – Mars and Saturn. Shining just above the horizon, brighter than any stars in that part of the sky, these two planets are easy to spot. Mars, to the left, is the brighter of the two, but Saturn is amazing when seen through a small telescope, with its delicate rings clearly visible.
Look high in the south, well above Mars and Saturn, and you’ll find the Summer Triangle, a large pattern of three bright stars. Almost directly overhead is the leftmost star in the Summer Triangle, Deneb in the constellation of Cygnus the Swan. To the right of Deneb is the brilliant Vega in Lyra the Harp. And below these, around half way down to the horizon, is Altair in Aquila the Eagle.
Steve Owens is the author of Stargazing for Dummies.
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