Exciting February sky events include Venus at its brightest and closest to Earth, the moon occulting the Pleiades, and a parade of planets in the post-sunset sky.

Though the planets are always “aligned,” seeing more than four in the sky is more uncommon. February’s lineup is a chance to glimpse all seven in one sweeping view.

February’s night sky gives us the bright trio of Mars, Jupiter and Venus, according to NASA skywatch experts. “Venus blazes at its brightest for the year after sunset, then Mars and Jupiter will rule the night amid the menagerie of bright winter stars,” the U.S. space agency said in its February blog, which gives a summary of sky events.

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

On Saturday 1 February, some of our BBC Weather Watchers reported these sightings of the crescent Moon and Venus close together. With the clearest skies in the south-east of the UK on Saturday, viewing conditions were ideal for planet spotting.