Friday, May 2, presents a perfect opportunity to catch the mighty ice giant Neptune close to the planets Saturn and Venus in the pre-dawn sky, before they break their close-knit formation later in the month.
To find the planetary trio, find a stargazing spot with a clear horizon and head out a little over an hour before sunrise, which will occur at 5:53 a.m. EDT (0953 GMT) for night sky enthusiasts based in New York. The three distant worlds will have risen just above the horizon by 4:40 a.m. EDT (0830 GMT) for stargazers in this locale, and will climb visibly higher until the sun bleaches the sky with its light.
