5 planets are aligned and easily visible this week - here is how to spot them
You will be able to see some of our celestial neighbors closest to the sky without telescope.
Even if consulting the night sky by any clear night can be one of the simplest ways to feel a feeling of wonder, the earth sometimes has a special spectacle. Sometimes you get seats at first row for a unique event, such as the green comet This crossed the sky for the first time in 50,000 years last January. But even our nearest celestial neighbors can put their own spectacle which deserves to be checked. And this week, five planets of our solar system are aligned and easily visible in the night sky. Read the rest to see how you can spot them.
Read this then: The next total solar eclipse will be the last until 2044, NASA says .
This week, you can easily spot more than half of the planets of our solar system in the night sky.
Amateur astronomers can look forward to an essential celestial activity in the coming days. This week, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury and Uranus will form an arc through the night sky , the planets displaying a dazzling screen as they line up near the moon. Fortunately, the placement and brightness of the objects will mean that most people can spot them by just using their eyes.
"The heavens line up," Noah Petro , a scientist of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter project in NASA, said The Washington Post . "If you have a telescope, you can dust them or a pair of binoculars; it is an excellent excuse to go out and look for the night sky. And if you don't, you can always see these [planets]."
You will not need to stand late to have an overview of the show.
If you run on a tight schedule or if you are worried, you will miss your chance to look, you can always be lucky. The show will be exhibited for several days, becoming visible just after sunset, said Petro The post office . The whole alignment will remain at the view up to about 30 minutes after sunset when Mercury and Jupiter will dive under the horizon and out of sight. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB
While March 28 was considered the optimal observation date by astronomers, there is still an advantage to attend the show throughout the week. The nights to come "will actually offer better opportunities to see Mercury because it puts another degree between it and the horizon in mid-April". Tony Rice , an ambassador of NASA, said The post office in an email.
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Here is where to look for if you want to take the planetary alignment.
Unlike solar eclipses or certain other night sky events, amateur astronomers will not be limited by geography when you try to to notice . Instead, the alignment will be visible for people of the world who are fortunate to have a clear sky and relatively low interference of light pollution. And as long as you have your bearings, locate them should be quite easy.
"If you go outside, just at sunset, just after sunset and look to the west, you will see these planets stretched in a line extending to about 50 degrees," Bill Cooke , a NASA astronomer, told CBS News, adding that the view would seem "very pretty".
If you hope to identify each, Mars will appear the highest in the sky and closest to the moon, while Uranus will be located near dazzling Venus, according to Petro. And in particular, viewers will not need any type of Telescope or binoculars To see the planets.
"It is the beauty of these planetary alignments. It doesn't take much," Cooke told the Associated Press.
There will be other opportunities to see other planetary alignments relatively soon.
If the weather conditions are not ideal for your region or if you always manage to miss the spectacle of this week's solar system, you will not have to wait too long to take other planetary alignments. Unlike events once in life such as the passage of Comet c / 2022 E3 (ZTF) Earlier this winter, this type of celestial display can occur several times a year. There will even be an opportunity this summer when Mercury, Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune and Saturn aligned in the night sky on June 17, reports CBS News.
However, this week's event stands out for a particular reason. "Uranus will be the rare excitement you will look for in this alignment," COKE News told COOKE, adding that he will have a greenish glow. "If you collect planets, here is the chance to add Uranus to your collection."
