Starwatch: moon draws close to Jupiter in retrograde

Planet is shining brightly and travelling westward - a backward motion that will be reversed on 23 November

The moon draws close to the shining planet of Jupiter this week, making a pretty pairing in the evening sky.

The chart shows the view looking south-southeast from London at 2300 BST on 8 October, although the conjunction should be visible from sunset onwards. The moon will be almost full, with 98.7% of its visible surface illuminated. Officially the full moon takes place on 9 October, but to the eye it is going to look almost full until 12 October, when the illuminated percentage falls below 95.