In just a few days, we will witness a planetary procession across the early evening sky. Five planets and the crescent moon will be aligned, and you should be able to see four out of five without the help of a telescope. So from March 25, eyes to the sky after the Sun has set.
The visible planets, in order from the lowest on the horizon to the highest, will be Mercury, followed by Jupiter and Venus – which only recently were in a lovely close conjunction.
After Venus, you’ll need a telescope to spot Uranus, which is then followed by the Moon; it will be just a small sliver and shouldn’t impede your viewing. After the Moon, much higher in the sky, you’ll see the reddish bright dot that is Mars.
The best time to see them will be right after sunset from March 25 to March 30, and then Jupiter will overtake Mercury in apparent position and the virtual line will be a bit messier. But the planets will still be visible for many days afterward, until Jupiter disappears in the glare of the Sun around Easter.
If you’d like to catch the other planet visible in the sky, Saturn, you’ll have to get up early and try to spot it just over the Eastern horizon before dawn.
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