Christmas Eve 2014

This is the sky as seen from Madrid (latitude 40N) at 18:45 local time on December 24^th 2014.

This particular cycle of evening visibility ends with the planet almost impossible to see, very low on the horizon. At 18:45 it will be just 1 degree high and only visible if you have an exceptional horizon.

This year the planet is almost on the opposite side of the Sun to the Earth and is thus full, but relatively faint at magnitude –3.9. It has also moved into Sagittarius, a summer constellation, so the fact that

However, if you are lucky enough to have a clear horizon in the south-west you will be able to enjoy the beautiful sight of the 3-day-old Moon hanging above Venus and, alongside the crescent Moon, Mars, at magnitude +1.0, still bright and, with its strong orange colour, fairly unmistakable.