Two of the planets of the solar system are crossing paths in the early evening. But they’re quite low in the sky, so they can be a bit tough to spot.

The brighter of the two is Venus, which is beginning its reign as the “evening star.” It’ll climb higher into the sky over the coming weeks and months, making it much easier to spot. Right now, though, it sets by the time the color of twilight drains away, so there’s not much time to enjoy it.

Venus’s companion is Saturn. It’s close to the upper left of Venus. It’s only about one percent as bright, so it’s tougher to pluck from the twilight. You might miss it entirely if not for the presence of its brighter sibling.

And the two planets really are siblings. They were born from the same cloud of gas and dust that surrounded the newborn Sun.

Venus was born close to the Sun. Conditions in that region were so hot that only heavier materials were available to build planets. So, like Earth, Venus is made mostly of rock and metal.

Saturn took shape in the deep-freeze of the outer solar system. The planet built a big core of heavy materials. The core then pulled in huge amounts of gas. That made Saturn the second-largest planet – a cold, gassy world far from the Sun.

Watch Venus and Saturn as they cross paths the next few nights. They’ll stand side by side on Saturday, just a whisker apart. Venus will pull away after that, with Saturn vanishing in the sunlight.

Script by Damond Benningfield