A celestial spectacle will be visible from Earth on Tuesday as five planets line up in the western horizon after sunset.
The five planets that will be lining up are Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Uranus. The spectacle will not be there for long with the planets Mercury and Jupiter disappearing in just half an hour, according to NASA astronomer Bill Cooke. So don’t miss your chance to catch a glimpse of the five planets.
Where do I have to look to find them?
Tuesday is the best day to catch the whole group together. People will have to look to the western horizon right after sunset, said the NASA astronomer.
The planets will be stretching from the horizon line to around halfway up the night sky. However, if you don’t want to miss all of them together, you can’t afford to be late. Mercury and Jupiter will quickly go below the horizon around half an hour after sunset.
The cosmic spectacle can be seen from anywhere on the Earth as long as you have clear skies and a view of the west.
NASA astronomer Bill Cooke said, “That's the beauty of these planetary alignments. It doesn't take much.”
Do I need to carry anything to watch the five planets?
You may find it necessary to carry binoculars. Jupiter, Venus and Mars will be easier to spot as they shine brightly, mentioned Cooke.
Among these planets, Venus will be one of the brightest things in the sky and Mars will be wearing a reddish glow. It can be spotted near the moon. However, Mercury and Uranus will be the harder ones to spot as they are dimmer. For that, you may need to take a pair of binoculars along.
If you’re a “planet collector”, this will be a rare chance to catch a view of Uranus, which is usually not visible, said Cooke. You may want to look out for it’s greenish glow just above Venus.
If I were to miss this congregation of planets, how long will I have to wait for this to happen again?
From time to time, different numbers and groups of planets line up in the sky. Last summer, there was a five-planet lineup and another one will take place in June, with a slightly different makeup.
Cooke said that this kind of alignment happens when the orbits of the planets line them upon one side of the sun from the Earth’s perspective.
