Jupiter will be at its brightest in December but this month is already putting on a show.

The largest planet in our solar system will be a bright object in Taurus, 30 degrees high in the east at 10pm GMT.

The map shows the location of Jupiter, and beneath it by late evening will be the bright red star Betelgeuse, located on the ‘shoulder’ of the constellation of Orion.

Betelgeuse is one of the most fascinating stars for astronomers as it nearing the end of its life and is expected to explode as a supernova, but we do not know exactly when.

It is close enough that when it does blow up it will be a spectacular sight – visible in daylight. But it is also far enough away not to be any threat to the Earth.

Late evening skies this month also offer the opportunity to see Mars, which will be at its best for two years in January.

The Red Planet will steadily brighten as the month goes on, situated below the twin stars of Gemini and best seen after 11pm looking to the east.

Venus might be seen on clear evenings, very low in the south west after sunset.

The moon is full on the evening of the 15th and on the 17th will be near to Jupiter.

There are several meteor showers this month. The Southern Taurids peak on the 5th and unlike the other showers this month will not be affected by moonlight.

The best time to watch if skies are clear will be from about 10pm onwards when the point source of the meteors in the constellation of Taurus, known as the radiant, will be well up in the east.

Taurids are notable for how slow they seem to cross the sky compared to most other meteor showers.

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS did not live up to the 'Comet of the Century' description as some had claimed, but for those who could find it, the comet was a fine sight in binoculars with a long tail and some excellent photos were taken.

The comet will fade through November as it recedes from both the earth and the sun.

Another big display of the aurora took place on October 10th which was widely seen from south east England, even from towns with streetlights on, so this was a very bright display.

The sun has now reached solar maximum and so it is very possible there will be more displays in the months to come.