Seven Planets Visible in the Night Sky Starting Tonight
Astrophotographers start twitching because seven planets — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune — will be briefly visible in the night sky this week.
The rare planetary parade won’t be seen again until 2040 and the next few days — Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday — is the best time to see them.
Regular skygazers are aware that only a few planets, like Mars, Venus, and Jupiter, are visible to the naked eye which means you may need an app such as Stellarium to find the others.
Mercury and Saturn will both be very low in the sky and will only be visible just as the evening Sun fades. They’re likely to be the two planets that are most difficult to spot. The best course of action is to find a clear view of the western horizon and know that they will be quite close to one another.
Above them will be Venus, the brightest object in the sky on any given night. Venus is so vivid it acts like a beacon and is unmistakable. Then above the second rock from the Sun will be Jupiter which shines about one-tenth the brightness of Venus.
Mars is somewhere in the Eastern sky and is often easy to spot because it glows pinkish; living up to its Red Planet moniker. Mars currently sits a little closer to Earth than usual making those reds even stronger.
Then there are the two planets farthest from Earth: Uranus and Neptune. These will not be visible to the human eye and will require binoculars, a telescope, or an astrophotography rig.
According to The New York Times, Uranus will be about two fists west of Jupiter while Neptune camps out between Venus and the western horizon.
Dr Edward Bloomer, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, tells the BBC that it is a “rare opportunity to have seven planets in essentially a convenient place for you to look for them.”
“You really only have a few minutes after sunset to catch them before they drop below the horizon,” he adds. “After that, you’ll still be able to see Venus, Jupiter, and Mars clearly for a much longer time.
If you are planning on getting out to shoot this week then why not check out PetaPixel’s astrophotography guide.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.