NO FEWER than six planets will be on view in Wales' evening sky as we head towards the start of a new year. Four of these planets will be easily sighted with the naked eye.

Around 30 to 40 after sunset, and with a clear and unobscured view of the south-western horizon, one of the first objects that should come into view as twilight encroaches is Venus. Venus, because of its dense layer of clouds and its position as the nearest planet to Earth, is unmistakable. The Venusian clouds brightly reflecting the Sun’s light toward Earth.

Once you’ve located Venus, sweep below and somewhat to the left to try and locate a much fainter object, this will be Mercury, the innermost planet. Mercury may prove a little tricky to spot given its faintness, but with patience, it can be sighted.  Allow your eyes to become properly adapted to the darkening conditions for best results.

To find the other planets in the procession, return to Venus and sweeping upward and to the left, try and locate another point of light, not quite as bright as Venus, but certainly brighter in appearance than Mercury. This will be Saturn but if you can’t locate it, just continue to sweep upward and to the left from Venus until you find the much brighter Jupiter. At this point, you can try and relocate Saturn by sweeping downward from Jupiter toward Venus, with Saturn sitting about halfway between the pair.

With the aid of binoculars and for the more experienced observer, both Uranus and Neptune are also on view. 

If you are using binoculars or a telescope to view any of the planets, please remember to wait until the Sun has fully set to observe them.

  • This article originally appeared on our sister site The National.