Maria Sundin, an astrophysicist at the University of Gothenburg, has been out looking at the band of planets several evenings recently.
It is very beautiful. Already when it gets dark in the afternoon and the sky is still dark blue and not pitch black, you can see several planets shining, she says.
Easy to find
In the early evening, around 6-7 p.m., four planets are visible to the naked eye, provided the weather is clear. Venus, which is not without reason also called the Evening Star, is the first to be seen when it gets dark.
It is visible in the southwest and is very easy to find. There is nothing else that can be mistaken for it, says Maria Sundin.
Far to the left of Venus is a significantly fainter dot: the giant planet Saturn. To the east in the sky, Mars appears, slightly reddish and almost as bright as Venus. Midway between Venus and Mars, but higher in the sky, appears the brightly shining Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system.
Venus and Saturn set around 9 p.m., while Jupiter and Mars are visible most of the night but are moving west.
During January, as many as six planets can be seen in the starry sky at the same time.
During January, as many as six planets can be seen in the starry sky at the same time.
Photo: Anders Humlebo/TT
Need help
The two outermost planets in the solar system, Uranus and Neptune, can also be viewed now in January. But you need binoculars or a telescope to spot them.
The only planet that cannot be discerned is the innermost, Mercury. It becomes visible in the evening in early March, but is harder to spot than Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter.
Maria Sundin points out that it is not unusual for four or five of the planets to be within clear sight of us earthlings at the same time, although it does not happen every year. And during the long, dark January evenings, it will of course be easier to spot them – and photograph them, for those who want to.
The mobile cameras have become so good that many people can photograph the northern lights and spread them on social media. We can hope that photographing planets will be the next big thing, says Maria Sundin.