A beautiful conjunction between the moon and Saturn takes place this week, easily visible from the southern hemisphere and appearing in the north-western sky mid-evening.
The chart shows the view looking south from London at 6pm on 20 November, a reward for commuters on their way home. As the twilight builds, the moon will already be clearly visible. It is roughly a week past new moon, which is in its first-quarter phase with 53% of its visible surface illuminated. As the darkness truly falls, the fainter spot of Saturn will reveal itself. The gas giant will appear as a pale yellow dot of light, forming a nice contrast to the silvery light of the moon.
Saturn has been spending the past few months appearing to backtrack in the sky because of the way the Earth, much closer to the sun, has been “undertaking” it like a runner on an inside track. This month, Saturn has begun its forward motion across the sky again, meaning that on successive nights it will creep slightly eastwards.
Saturn is currently in the constellation of Aquarius, the water bearer. There are few bright stars in this part of the sky, so the planet should be easy to distinguish.
