The new year begins in fine style with the two inner planets, Mercury and Venus, putting on a good show in the morning sky.
Venus, located 114m miles from Earth, will be blazingly clear in the sky. Its reflective cloud layer acts as a mirror for the sunlight and it will be easily visible in a clear sky.
Mercury will be more of a challenge. Although closer, at 86m miles, it is a smaller world than Venus and has no significant atmosphere. Its rough surface is not as good at reflecting light as Venus’s cloud tops, so it appears much dimmer from Earth. This means that its glow will fight with the gathered dawn light.
The chart shows the view looking south-east from London on January 8 at 07:00 GMT. On this day, Mercury and Venus will be joined by a beautifully slender waning crescent moon – only 12.7% of its visible surface will be illuminated.
To maximize your chances of seeing the small world of Mercury, find a viewing spot with an excellent southeastern horizon. It will be somewhat easier to see the cluster from the southern hemisphere as they will rise higher in the sky before sunrise.
