This week, the moon will pass close to the planet Saturn in the evening sky. Although visible from urban locations, the pairing takes on a special meaning when seen from a location with minimal light pollution. The brilliant silver glow of the moon and the steady golden light of Saturn contrast beautifully.
The chart shows the view looking south from London on 29 November at 19.00 GMT. The conjunction is easily visible to the naked eye from both hemispheres.
At 19:08 GMT, the moon will be directly north of Saturn and the two celestial objects will be just 3.75 degrees apart. For comparison, the angular diameter of the moon is 0.5 of a degree.
At the time of their meeting, the moon will be nine days old, placing it in its waxing gibbous phase. About 66% of its visible surface will be illuminated and it will be situated in the constellation of Pisces, the fishes.
Saturn will be shining its faintly yellow light from just across the border, within the neighbouring constellation Aquarius, the water bearer. Although appearing close, the pair will not fit within the field of view of most telescopes but should be easily fit in the field of view of a pair of binoculars.