Thanks Kendall, but I think it's the tail of the bear or the handle of the Big Dipper, whatever you call it, which points to Arcturus. It's the pointers at the front end which point to the North Star - but I guess that is hardly new information for a sailor! The problem is that I only see a bit of the sky and can't really get my bearings. If I was up on a moor or on the coast, it would be pretty easy. You also have to remember that from a big city, it is not so easy to tell whether the thing really is twinkling or not - and the horizon is that much higher. However, your remark that Mars is in the East makes it likely that I have indeed seen the red planet. Maybe I'll get the telescope out one of these nights!