SkyMatters: Use the Moon to help find three planets in July

The problem with planets is that they move.

If someone asks you where Venus or Mars will be tonight, or in a month’s time, unless you’re extremely familiar with the sky almanac (or have one of the many apps for your mobile device that show what’s in the sky) it is highly unlikely that you’ll know the answer.

If you do know the answer for this year, there’s no guarantee that it will be the same for next year. In fact, it almost certainly will not! This is very different to stars, or the constellations they make up.