February has offered a rather challenging but rewarding observing target: a planetary alignment low in the western sky just after sunset.

Mercury, Venus, and Saturn are all clustered together in the fading twilight. Catching Mercury is always notoriously difficult because it never strays far from the glare of the Sun, but its brilliant magnitude punch allowed it to be seen briefly before sinking below the horizon.

On the 18th, a beautiful, razor-thin crescent Moon joined the trio, creating a stunning, albeit fleeting, celestial grouping. It requires a clear, unobstructed western horizon and a bit of luck with the weather, but seeing so many of our planetary neighbours at once is always a thrill.