This month’s chart

This chart shows how the sky appeared at midnight BST on Oct 1 and will appear at 11pm BST on Oct 15 and 9pm GMT on 31 Oct

31. The clocks go back one hour from BST to GMT at 2am BST on Sunday Oct

25. The planets are shown along with the location and phase of the Moon at 5-day intervals. The Moon is full on Oct 1 and 31. The stars are shown as circles; the larger the circle the brighter the star. The hazy area represents the Milky Way.

Orientate the chart by holding it in front of you rotated so the compass bearing at the bottom matches the direction you’re facing. The bottom of the chart then reflects your horizon with the middle of the chart representing the view directly above your head. The chart is designed to be viewed using a red torch outside.