quote:

Originally posted by Tayto:
Mars was closest to the earth earlier on in the summer Ditty and yes it is time for the meteor showers. I haven't heard yet when they are due to start.

they are out there now... but they peak on the 12th/13th August.

quote:

Originally posted by Lockes no 1 fan:
close to the moon I can see it perfectly tonight but not sure if it is a star or venus

Just had a look and it is quite big

quote:

Originally posted by Lockes no 1 fan:
close to the moon I can see it perfectly tonight but not sure if it is a star or venus

No, Venus is below the horizon until 2 or 3 in the morning. What you were seeing will probably have been Jupiter.

Uranus and Neptune are closer to the moon than Jupiter right now, but as they are quite small you might not see them and if you do they are probably indistinguishable from other stars.

The brightest star in the sky at night is Venus, also called the Evening Star, although it's also the Morning Star.

quote:

Originally posted by cologne1:
The brightest star in the sky at night is Venus, also called the Evening Star, although it's also the Morning Star.

At the moment it is The Morning Star.

For anyone looking for the moon, it is in the South East and is relatively low in the sky.