Many thanks to Mrs Handford who has shared some really interesting information about chances to study the night sky coming up over the next weeks (although I am not recommending that you plan a midnight viewing – this term is exhausting enough as it is!):

• The autumn equinox falls this year on 22 September at 1.30 p.m. This is when the sun shines directly on the equator resulting in equal lengths of day and night.

• The Andromeda galaxy, referred to as M31, is 2.5. million light years away. It is roughly 10 billion years old and contains about a trillion stars.Look East at about 10 pm on 22 September and you will see the unmistakable red glow of Mars. Using an outstretched arm and measuring up from the red planet, about one and a half hand spans should bring you to an identifiable fuzzy patch. A pair of binoculars should give a better view. It is often referred to as our sister galaxy due to their shapes and sizes, and we are approaching each other at about 110 kms. per second, but don’t worry, we are not going to collide for at least four billion years

• September is a good month for seeing Venus, our brightest planet, and it will display its brilliance throughout the month as a blazing morning star. Just look towards the eastern horizon to be rewarded.

• The twin gas planets of Jupiter and Saturn, although fading, will still provide a view worth chasing in the evening, especially with binoculars.

• 17 September will find the Moon located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun, hence will not be visible in the night sky.