Venus and Saturn will be in conjunction this weekend, appearing side by side in the night sky during January's post-sunset "planet parade."

Both Venus and Saturn will be in the Aquarius constellation, the water bearer, during their close approach. To help spot it, viewers should look towards the south in the evening sky, using the bright star Fomalhaut in the nearby Piscis Austrinus constellation as a guide to locate Aquarius.

Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars will appear to line up and be bright enough to see with the naked eye in the first few hours after dark. This weekend, Venus and Saturn get especially cozy.

Astronomer Dean Regas gives us the lowdown on the best things to look out for this winter, from a “planet parade” to the ATLAS comet.

Plus: Saturn’s moon Iapetus is visible, our Moon passes the bright star Spica, and Mars skims south of Pollux in Gemini in the sky this week.

I pick out North America’s celestial highlights for the week ahead (which also apply to mid-northern latitudes in the northern hemisphere).

Six planets grace the sky this month in what’s called a planetary parade. Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are visible to the naked eye in January and for part of February.

NASA and famed astronaut Buzz Aldrin say stargazers have the best chance of catching a glimpse of Saturn and Venus in alignment starting Saturday. The planets have been shuffling toward each other in the sky and will appear closest this weekend, appearing only inches apart to the human eye.

In the photo from the space station, the comet is captured just above Earth’s horizon, which is illuminated by a bright light — also known as airglow — that occurs in the planet’s upper atmosphere when atoms and molecules emit light after being excited by sunlight.

On Monday night you may have a chance to witness the moon obscuring the Red Planet at its brightest, as well as a comet’s closest approach to the sun.