Five Planets Will Appear in the Sky Later This Month in Rare Event

Sun and planets of the solar system

Photo: Krisdog/Depositphotos

The stars have aligned—or at least the planets have—and on March 28, five planets will be visible to stargazers in the northern hemisphere. Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, and Venus will line up in a large planetary alignment just after sunset. While an alignment of two or three planets is fairly common, seeing five grace the sky at once is a rare treat.

Mercury and Jupiter will be visible near the horizon, while Venus will shine higher up in the sky and Mars will be near the first quarter of the Moon. These four planets—especially Mercury and Jupiter—will be easy to spot. But, not all of the planets will be visible to the naked eye. Given its distance from Earth, binoculars or a telescope are a must in order to see Uranus.

If you are interested in seeing the planetary alignment, there are apps that can help you understand what you can expect to see. For instance, using the Sky Tonight app, you'll be able to quickly discover the planets in the sky at your location, as well as their visibility conditions.

In fact, your location, as well as weather conditions, will be the main factors in determining whether or not you'll be able to see the rare event. “Unless you have a clear sky and a nearly flat western horizon free of obstructions such as trees or buildings, you won't see Jupiter and Mercury,” shares Rick Fienberg, senior contributing editor at Sky & Telescope.

And if for some reason you miss this large planetary alignment, don't worry. There are two smaller alignments set for April. On April 11,  Mercury, Uranus, Venus, and Mars will make an appearance in the sky. And then, a few weeks later on April 29, the same group will have an encore.

h/t: [Daily Mail]

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Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book 'Street Art Stories Roma' and most recently contributed to 'Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini'. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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