Dancing in the night sky by Tish Mason
A close friend has been given a telescope in recognition of forty years’ service with his company. He is an engineer so understands how to make this complex piece of equipment work; while I stand in the darkness until summoned to look through the viewer. During the summer months Mars has been rising in the southern sky at twilight with Venus setting in the west and Saturn and Jupiter visible between them. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA . It shows Mars in real colours, not enhanced by digital effects. Mars has been visible through the telescope as a glowing planet, yellow in the upper half, shading to red below because dust storms diffract the light. The rings of Saturn appear as a band of white around a shining ball. It has been possible to see with the naked eye all four planets stretched in an arc across the evening sky. My friend e...