Originally published by WJAC.
Imagine being able to see more than half the planets of the solar system at once.
That’s what’s going to happen for several days next week.
Five planets — Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and Mars — will be forming a semi-circle in the sky, and the moon will be joining them for good measure.
Business Insider reports in order to see Jupiter and Mercury, folks should get to a dark place, away from city lights, before sunset. Look to the west with a clear view of the horizon. That means no clouds, trees, buildings, or mountains. Then, shortly after the sun dips below the horizon, peer low on the horizon to spot that pair. There won’t be much time. They won’t even last an hour.
The moon, Venus, and Jupiter all shone on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. (Kathy Dunn via Chime In)
Venus should be the easiest to see since it’s the third-brightest object in the sky, after the sun and moon. It’ll be located above Jupiter.
The Daily Mail reports Mars, the red planet, will be a bit fainter but still easily observed with the naked eye. It’ll be near the moon, which will be showing its first quarter.
The hardest planet to see will be Uranus and most people will need binoculars or a telescope to see the far-off ice giant.
Don’t worry if there’s a problem seeing what’s in space one night. The so-called “parade of planets” will last almost a week.
The planets will make their debut on Saturday, March 25. The best opportunity to see them will be next Tuesday, March 28, and the show will end on Thursday, March 30.
By the way, five planets in alignment is not a record. It happened in 2016, 2020, and again last year — but they’re not always the same five planets.
