23 January 2016

Five Planets Visible

For the first time in a decade, if you are an early riser, you will be able to see all five of the naked eye planets in the sky. For the next month, just before sunrise, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn will be visible in the sky to the east. This sort of alignment can only be seen just before sunrise or just after sunset because Venus and Mercury can never be far from the Sun in the sky. Check out this post from July 16, 2014.

Remember, planets do not twinkle as compared to stars. So you should be able to easily spot the planets in the sky compared to the stars. Just for note, Mercury will be the planet closest to the horizon and Jupiter will be the farthest. The order of the planets in the sky will be Mercury, Venus,  Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter. If you have a powerful enough telescope, you also might be able to see Pluto near Mercury.

One other cool observation is beginning around the third quarter phase, the Moon will also be visible along with the five planets. As the Moon ages towards the New Moon, it will be among the planets in the sky.

Note: if you are really observant, you will be able to see a sixth planet. Comment below if you know which planet and why you will be able to see it.

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