Starwatch: Venus and Saturn will be visible to the naked eye | Venus

Venus continues to shine like a brilliant beacon in the evening sky. This week it draws close to Saturn, offering an opportunity to see the nearest and further planets that are readily available to the naked eye.

The chart shows the view looking south-west from London on 20 January at 18.30 GMT. On this evening, Venus will be approximately 90m km from us, whereas Saturn is out at 1,540m km.

Although Saturn is about 10 times larger in diameter than Venus, and thus has a much larger reflecting area, its much greater distance renders it far fainter. At magnitude –4.24, Venus is more than 200 times brighter than Saturn, at magnitude 1.54. Yet our eyes have no problem adjusting to this large disparity and we will find it easy to see both celestial objects.

The conjunction occurs in the constellation of Aquarius, the water bearer, near its border with Pisces, the fish. Saturn will appear to be a muted, yellow colour whereas Venus will be a brilliant white. Binoculars can enhance the view, really highlighting the differences in brightness and colour.

The pairing will also be visible from the southern hemisphere, appearing in the western sky after sunset.