Starwatch: brilliant Venus outshines the young moon

The "evening star" blazes near the south-west horizon, joined by a tiny crescent moon

Venus continues to shine brightly as the "evening star" this week. It is the third brightest celestial object in the sky, beaten only by the sun and the moon. A good south-western horizon will be needed as the planet is not very high in the sky at the moment, but it is well worth searching for. Seen blazing brilliantly through the sunset sky, Venus is a breathtaking sight. Adding to the beauty, this week the planet is joined by another jewel of the twilight sky: a very thin crescent moon. This will be tricky to spot: the moon will be low in the sky and only 6.3% of its surface will be illuminated from earth. The chart shows the view looking towards the south-west from London on 28 December at 17:00 GMT. A day later, the moon will have moved to the other side of Venus, and so be higher in the sky. By this time, 12% of its surface will be illuminated, and both factors will make it easier to spot.