Monday 11th to Sunday 17th August 2025
If you are up very early on Monday 11th, around
Although the two planets look very close together because of the angle you are viewing them at from the Earth, in reality they are many millions of miles apart. Venus is a rocky planet within what is known as the Inner Solar System that stretches out as far as the Asteroid Belt. Jupiter, being one of the huge gas giants, lives in the Outer Solar System beyond the Asteroid Belt.
If you look to the right of the pair, you should be able to see the constellation of Orion on its side, closer to the horizon. The red giant star Betelgeuse will be easy to identify.
Stay outside until about 5am to catch planet Mercury popping up above the east north east horizon. It will be much harder to observe in the dawn sky with a magnitude of around +2.0 and as the Sun will be rising in the same place, please don't be tempted to risk using a telescope to obtain a better view!
On a completely different note, the evening of Tuesday 12th sees the peak of the annual Perseids meteor shower. At
www.starsoversomerset.com
Screenshots courtesy of Stellarium
Copyright Adrian Dening and Radio Ninesprings 2025
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