Starwatch: Mercury is the big prize in a delightful trio

This evening is the last day of the UK bank holiday.

A crescent moon will be between the planets Mercury and Aldebaran. As twilight begins to fall, begin your search by looking low towards the western horizon. You should be able to see the three objects by 9pm.

There is a red giant star 65 light years away. The Bull is a star in the constellation. The moon is just 1.25 light seconds away.

On this night, it will be a beautiful new moon, with just 3.5% of its visible surface illuminated. It would be worthwhile to see this alone. The real prize tonight is Mercury, the inner planet. Mercury is 6.4 light minutes away. Those with a low horizon should keep an eye on this trio. The star cluster may be visible beyond Mercury if the air is still.

The view from London is shown on the chart. It will be hard to see the grouping from the southern hemisphere.