Will you be trick and treating this Halloween? If you are, you’re in for treats of a cosmic kind.
After the sun sets at 6.40pm, keep an eye out for Mercury which will be visible briefly on the western horizon. It will appear below brighter Venus. The two planets are on either side of the constellation of Scorpius. As dusk turns into darkness you’ll find Saturn high in the sky in the north.
If you happen to still be out stargazing after 9.45pm, you’ll see Jupiter rising in the east and appearing as a bright star.
When and where to look:
Sunset onwards, 31st October in the west for Mercury and Venus, overhead for Saturn and in the east for Jupiter.
Something interesting
On 30th October, Venus will be at its furthest point to the Sun. However, Venus’ orbit is almost completely circular — meaning it receives an almost identical amount of energy from the sun wherever it is in its orbit.
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There’s always something interesting happening in the night sky and country WA is the best place to catch all the action!