Clear nights this week have allowed people to see Venus – and even faint glimpses of Mars – in the night sky along with the moon.

Earth has been almost at its closest to the sun, which means stellar bodies which reflect its light have appeared at their brightest.

So both the moon and Venus - which reflects 70 per cent of the sunlight bouncing off it because of the thick clouds that cover its surface - have been especially luminous.

Mars has also been spotted, in direct diagonal alignment with the moon and Venus.

The red planet is much harder to see with the naked eye when the moon is so bright, but it's there if you know where to look.

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