Have tea with Mars and Jupiter

R egular readers of this column will know that five planets were visible to the naked eye in October 2018, before Venus and Jupiter disappeared into the glow of the sun. If you were wondering what had happened to those two planets, you should get up early in January – at least one hour before sunrise – to catch up. Look east: There will be two radiant “stars” near the horizon. The brightest is Venus, which has been doing duty as the morning star since November – it’s hard to miss. But here’s the special part: About 8° above Venus, you’ll also be able to see Jupiter in the early morning. On 31 January, a sickle moon will join this pretty grouping. You might even be able to take a photo with your cellphone – just make sure to keep the phone still. To complete the picture, the Scorpio constellation with its curled tail will be right above the triangle formed by the moon, Venus and Jupiter, with the Sagittarius Teapot to the right. If you look closely, you’ll also be able to see Saturn – yellowish in colour – under the “handle” of the teapot.