This months Observers’ Challenge is the conjunction of Venus and Saturn that will occur on December 11th.

This will be a challenging target for three main reasons:

1. It will be visible for just a short time after sunset.
2. The pair will be very low in Sagittarius in the South-West. From Greenwich at 5pm Venus’ altitude will be a mere 5.66 degrees, and will have set by 5:45 pm. You will need a good horizon.
3. There is a big disparity in the brightness of the two planets. Venus will be shining at around magnitude -3.9 (extincted to -2.69), and Saturn will be 0.58 (extincted to 1.59)

For the visual observer the brightness difference will not be too much of a hindrance, though Saturn may be easier to spot with binoculars against the twilight sky.

Photographers will find this rather more challenging though if using a single exposure. To make a nice photo try finding a location with some pictorial content in the foreground.

Please do submit any observations to your BAA Member Page and to the Mercury and Venus Section and Saturn Section.