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

Mars will seem to disappear behind the full wolf moon Monday for many sky-gazers. Throughout January, also look up to see Venus, Saturn and Jupiter in the night sky.

Venus and Saturn will be in conjunction this weekend, appearing side by side in the night sky during January's post-sunset "planet parade."

Although it will look its best and brightest for years to come, Mars will be dwarfed by Venus in pure brightness terms by late January. Between Jan. 28 and Feb. 27, Venus will swing close to Earth and be as bright as it ever gets in the evening sky ...

The study's findings are crucial in the rapidly emerging field of developing disease-modifying therapies that target microglia.

Researchers find that microglia function differently in males versus females, potentially having broad implications for how neurological diseases are studied.

Both Venus and Saturn will be in the Aquarius constellation, the water bearer, during their close approach. To help spot it, viewers should look towards the south in the evening sky, using the bright star Fomalhaut in the nearby Piscis Austrinus constellation as a guide to locate Aquarius.

Venus with Mars makes the subject lascivious. Venus with Jupiter in the 9th Bhava confers great prosperity. Venus with Mercury in

"A parade of planets, also sometimes referred to as a planetary alignment, is when several planets in our solar system appear to line up in the sky from our perspective here on Earth," John Conafay, CEO of Integrate Space, tells TODAY.com.

Planetary alignments aren't rare, but they can be when they involve six of the eight planets in our solar system.

Skywatchers: A six-planet alignment peaks this week as Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus, and Saturn come together for view shortly after sunset in the sky.