This month’s planets
Venus makes a spectacular appearance in the dawn sky, but there will be opportunities to observe other members of the Solar System
The world often referred to as ‘Earth’s Twin’ is by far the brightest thing in the sky this month apart from the Sun and Moon, and again is a Morning Star, visible to the naked eye as a flaring silvery blue-white spark high in the southeast from the early hours right through until sunrise.
Venus is a fascinating world, but one that many planetary scientists – and amateur astronomers
– feel has been rather overlooked considering its proximity to Earth and its prominence in our sky. Why? Perhaps it’s because its surface is hidden from our view, smothered beneath that curdled, thick carbon dioxide atmosphere, so seeing anything on it takes more effort. Perhaps it’s because it’s not seen as a world where life could exist, so it’s seen as less interesting and less important? It’s a shame because, as any Venus fan will tell you, Venus is a world with geology, landscapes and surface features just as worthy of study as the rocky plains and deep valleys of Mars, the molten sulphur-vomiting volcanoes of Io or the sweeping icy plains of Enceladus.
At the start of the month Venus will be rising four hours before the Sun, so you’ll be able to see it blazing in a properly dark sky. Even if you have no knowledge of the stars and constellations and don’t know which direction is southeast it won’t matter; you’ll be able to spot Venus because as soon as you start to look around the sky it will draw your eye.
As the days pass Venus will start to move back towards the Sun but will remain easily visible to the naked eye through the month – it will still be rising two-and-a-half hours before the Sun at month’s end.
During January this beautiful Morning Star will not be short of company either. If you’re in a fitenough state to be out looking at the sky in the early hours of New Year’s Day you’ll be able to see a lovely crescent Moon shining to the upper right of Venus. The following morning the Moon, now an even slimmer crescent, will be to the lower left. On 22 January Venus will have a close encounter with Saturn, when the two worlds will be less than twoand-a-half degrees apart, making a beautiful pair.
But you really need to cross your fingers for a clear sky on the morning of 31 January, when Venus will be part of what should be a stunning gathering of worlds in the southeast before sunrise. You’ll see Venus blazing with the crescent Moon on its right and bright Jupiter on the other side of the Moon. You’ll have the best view of this if you can observe it from somewhere with a dark sky unspoiled by light pollution and a low southeastern horizon.