Looking up at the night sky tonight? You might be seeing more than just stars. Venus and Saturn are visible next to each other near the Moon, making for a stunning celestial sight.
Venus is currently the brightest ‘star’ in the sky, shining very bright with a magnitude of -4.5. It’s easy to spot against a dark sky as it appears shortly after sunset. The planet’s size is similar to that of Earth, but it’s shrouded in thick clouds and inhospitable to life.
As February progresses, Venus will remain brilliant but become trickier to observe due to the increasing daylight hours. By 28 February, it will set just three hours after sunset and be low on the horizon by nightfall.
Saturn is another planet visible in the southwest sky, near Venus in Aquarius. It’s bright at the start of February with a magnitude of +0.8, making it easy to see during deep twilight. However, by the end of the month, Saturn will set shortly after the Sun and be unobservable.
Neptune is also visible in the southwest, but only with binoculars or a telescope. It’s slightly harder to spot due to its fainter magnitude of +7.9 at the start of February. With the naked eye, Neptune is not visible due to its distance from Earth.
The planets will remain visible throughout February, but it’ll get increasingly challenging as March approaches. If you’re planning to observe these celestial bodies, make sure to send in your images for a chance to appear in BBC Sky at Night Magazine.
Source: https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/venus-saturn-neptune-moon-1-february-2025