The Moon is full on the 9th and is new on the 25th.

sunset but is now closer to the horizon.

beginning of the month and in the south at 5am by the end of the

month. On the morning of the 15th the Moon will be just above Mars.

the left and Saturn on the right. They are moving closer to the Sun

and can now be seen in the south-west after the Sun sets. If you want

to get some good views of these planets or photograph them along with

the Pleiades then this month is the time to do so.

away from it and Pluto is a morning object for medium to large telescopes.

rise in the east and set in the west. This is really an illusion as it is the Earth which is moving, not the stars. The Earth spins on its axis from west to east and the stars appear to spin across the sky about the same axis but in the opposite direction. This means

that the stars at the celestial equator - the projection of the Earths equator on to the sky - move the quickest. While the stars at the North Celestial Pole - where the North Pole is projected on to the sky - move the least.

By chance there is a star very near the North Celestial Pole - Polaris, known as the Pole Star. Its not the brightest of stars but is easy to find. Using the constellation of the Plough, which is easy to find, the two pointer stars can be used to lead to Polaris. Find the stars Merak and Dubhe in the Plough. Imagine a line from Merak through Dubhe. Continue this imaginary line for about six times the distance between the two stars. You arrive at Polaris.

If you stand long enough or take a long exposure photograph you will see that some stars do not set but just move around Polaris. these tars are circumpolar.