Look up at the sky tonight and you will be astonished by an amazing view without requiring a telescope. Five planets including Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and Mars can be viewed from Earth on 28 March 2023.
This rare astronomical event can be witnessed after sunset wherein the five celestial bodies will show up in an arc form along the crescent moon. Although this will be a treat to the eyes, according to experts, whether you can see this view or not will completely depend on your location.
According to Rick Fienberg, senior contributing editor of Sky & Telescope magazine, "People with an unobstructed view of the horizon and clear skies will have the best chance of seeing Jupiter and Mercury."
"Wait until the sun has set and then go out and look low in that bright part of the sky where the sun has just set with binoculars, and you should see brighter Jupiter next to fainter Mercury," says Fienberg. He also added that Venus, the brightest of the bunch, will be high in the sky and easier to spot, while Uranus may appear faint and only be visible through binoculars. The reddish Mars will shine brightly near the moon.
You'll be able to see the "planetary parade" from anywhere on Earth, but those in the Northern Hemisphere might have a better view, said Rick Fienberg.
This kind of rare planetary alignment generally occurs when at a particular time, planets get closer to each other on one side of the Sun. Planetary conjunctions of different planets are not rare compared to the same planet alignments. Uranus is one of the planets of Solar System that is extremely difficult to spot from Earth, that is why this celestial view is a rare spectacular phenomena.
When and How To Watch the Rare Alignment of 5 Planets?
As per experts, the rare alignment of five planets including Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus and Mars can be spotted in the night sky on Tuesday, 28 March 2023. Although, some planets like Venus may be visible to the naked eye, others like Uranus, Mars, and Mercury cannot be witnessed easily without using binoculars.
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