Twenty years ago, the Huygens probe achieved humanity's first landing on a moon in the outer solar system when it touched down on Titan.

On Jan. 4, Saturn briefly hid behind the crescent moon, escaping the view of skywatchers in Europe, Africa, western Russia and eastern Greenland in an event known as a lunar occultation. Astronomer Gianluca Masi shared a composite photo taken during the event using the Virtual Telescope Project in Manciano, Italy.

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

Venus is the planet of love, beauty and pleasure — it governs everything from our finances and relationship dynamics to our values and desires. In Pisces, the love planet immerses itself in the ideal fantasy, encouraging us to dream big when it comes to our desires. This, however, could be our detriment if we lose sight of reality.

An event called a "ring plane crossing" will occur between Saturn and Earth on March 23, 2025, when Saturn's rings will appear to vanish.

As Venus and Saturn meet in Pisces' sign, there's a focus on their life path. Relationships must bring out the best in them to get the stamp of approval from authoritative Saturn. If a connection doesn't challenge Pisces to grow in its emotional intelligence, intuition, and overall self-development, its flaws will undoubtedly become apparent.

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.

To kick off the beginning of the weekend, catch Venus and Saturn meeting as a conjunction on the night of Jan. 17. A telescope is not required to view this astronomy event.

This beautiful image shows Saturn re-emerging from behind our moon after a lunar occultation on 4 January. These occur when the moon passes between Earth and another object in the night sky, blocking it from our view. To the right of Saturn, you might just be able to make out the star 85 Aquarius, which underwent occultation at the same time.

Six planets will be in alignment this weekend, with four of them shining bright in one sweeping view. What to know about the planet parade.

Venus and Saturn will be in deep conjunction in the sign of Aquarius. The energy of this time will be intense.