Starwatch chart looking west-southwest from London on Sunday 22 January 2023 towards the close conjunction of Saturn and Venus
The bright planet Venus transits Saturn this week in a particularly close conjunction that is visible around the world. On the evening of Sunday, January 22, shortly after sunset, the two planets will appear low in the western sky, bathed in twilight.
The chart shows the west-southwest view from London at 1730 GMT on 22 January. Saturn will appear to be 75 times fainter than Venus. This is because although Saturn’s diameter of about 120,000 km is almost 10 times wider than Venus, it is about seven times farther from Earth.
Venus will appear bright white and Saturn will be dull yellow. The pair will be visible to the naked eye and will make a very nice sight with binoculars. However, wait until the sun has set before using binoculars, even viewing it through an optical instrument can permanently damage your eyes.
The conjunction is visible all over the world. From the southern hemisphere, such as Cape Town, South Africa or Sydney, Australia, viewing time is 20:30 local time. The next night, the planetary pair remains close and is joined by a thin crescent moon.