Five planets will align in the night sky for an extraordinary view on Tuesday in a phenomenon dubbed a “planetary parade”.
The planets – Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars – will come together on the western horizon, near the crescent moon, for a brief display after sunset. People almost anywhere on Earth with a westerly view and clear skies will be able to catch it.
Although the best day to see the full array is Tuesday, several of the planets will remain visible for the next two weeks. Jupiter, Venus and Mars will be the easiest to spot, as they shine brightly, according to Cooke. Mars will appear close to the moon, with a reddish glow, while Mercury and Uranus will appear dimmer and best viewed through binoculars.
If you’re a “planet collector”, Cooke said, it’s a rare chance to spot Uranus – which will appear as a green glow above Venus.
But the view will be ephemeral; Mercury and Jupiter will quickly dip below the horizon around half an hour after sunset.
The planets aren’t actually close together – they are scattered across the solar system. It will just appear that way from our perspective on Earth. The phenomenon occurs when the planets are orbiting on the same side of the sun as Earth.
It is not uncommon for groups of planets to come together this way in earthly skies. Another five-planet array, with a slightly different lineup, will happen in June.
Still, it’s a worthy view. “You get to see pretty much the whole solar system in one night,” says Rory Bentley, a UCLA astronomer, told Popular Science.
The celestial event was also endorsed by the former Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who urged people to gaze skyward on Tuesday evening.
Don’t forget to look to the sky the end of the month for the planetary alignment which will have at least five planets – plus the moon – all visible in almost an arc shape as seen from Earth. https://t.co/9OINapk8fe
— Dr. Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) March 16, 2023
