Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Look up! 5 Planets Will Be Aligned in Night Sky This Week
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 1 year ago on
March 27, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Keep an eye to the sky this week for a chance to see a planetary hangout.

Five planets — Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars — will line up near the moon.

WHERE AND WHEN CAN YOU SEE THEM?

The best day to catch the whole group is Tuesday. You’ll want to look to the western horizon right after sunset, said NASA astronomer Bill Cooke.

The planets will stretch from the horizon line to around halfway up the night sky. But don’t be late: Mercury and Jupiter will quickly dip below the horizon around half an hour after sunset.

The five-planet spread can be seen from anywhere on Earth, as long as you have clear skies and a view of the west.

“That’s the beauty of these planetary alignments. It doesn’t take much,” Cooke said.

DO I NEED BINOCULARS?

Maybe. Jupiter, Venus and Mars will all be pretty easy to see since they shine brightly, Cooke said. Venus will be one of the brightest things in the sky, and Mars will be hanging out near the moon with a reddish glow. Mercury and Uranus could be trickier to spot, since they will be dimmer. You’ll probably need to grab a pair of binoculars.

If you’re a “planet collector,” it’s a rare chance to spot Uranus, which usually isn’t visible, Cooke said. Look out for its green glow just above Venus.

DOES THIS HAPPEN OFTEN?

Different numbers and groups of planets line up in the sky from time to time. There was a five-planet lineup last summer and there’s another one in June, with a slightly different makeup.

This kind of alignment happens when the planets’ orbits line them up on one side of the sun from Earth’s perspective, Cooke said.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Four-Time Grammy Winner Debuts Song Inspired by College Protests

DON'T MISS

Planned Fresno Probation Gun Buyback Program Runs Afoul of State Law and SEIU

DON'T MISS

Watch: Israel’s Oversized Influence in American Elections

DON'T MISS

Own a Business? Learn How to Get a Piece of the $5.5 Billion Visa/Mastercard Settlement

DON'T MISS

Special Report: How a 1965 Law Makes It Hard for the Poor to Get Mental Health Treatment

DON'T MISS

CA Restaurants Shouldn’t Be Shocked That ‘Junk Fees’ Ban Applies to Them

DON'T MISS

Did California’s Massive COVID Homeless Shelter Program Work? A New Evaluation Probes the Results

DON'T MISS

Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama Is Rookie of the Year After a Record-Setting Season

DON'T MISS

Murray Tosses Heat Pack, Coach Screams at Officials as Frustrated Nuggets Lose Again

DON'T MISS

India Votes in Third Phase of National Elections; Modi Escalates His Rhetoric Against Muslims

UP NEXT

Another State Department Official Resigns Over Biden’s Gaza Policy

UP NEXT

Senators Want Limits on Government’s Use of Facial Recognition Technology for Airport Screening

UP NEXT

Trump Calls Judge ‘Crooked’ After Facing a Warning of Jail Time if He Violates a Trial Gag Order

UP NEXT

The Latest | In Israel, Blinken Pushes Hamas to Agree on Gaza Cease-Fire Deal

UP NEXT

Oklahoma Towns Hard Hit by Tornadoes Begin Long Cleanup After 4 Killed in Weekend Storms

UP NEXT

Blinken Says Israel Must Still Do More to Boost Humanitarian Aid to Gaza

UP NEXT

The Protests Over the Israel-Hamas War Put a Spotlight on College Endowments

UP NEXT

Antony Blinken Meets With China’s President Xi as US, China Spar Over Bilateral and Global Issues

UP NEXT

Tennessee Lawmakers Pass Bill Criminalizing Adults Assisting Minors in Gender-Affirming Care

UP NEXT

Ukraine Uses Long-Range Missiles Secretly Provided by US to Hit Russian-Held Areas, Officials Say

Own a Business? Learn How to Get a Piece of the $5.5 Billion Visa/Mastercard Settlement

3 hours ago

Special Report: How a 1965 Law Makes It Hard for the Poor to Get Mental Health Treatment

3 hours ago

CA Restaurants Shouldn’t Be Shocked That ‘Junk Fees’ Ban Applies to Them

5 hours ago

Did California’s Massive COVID Homeless Shelter Program Work? A New Evaluation Probes the Results

5 hours ago

Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama Is Rookie of the Year After a Record-Setting Season

5 hours ago

Murray Tosses Heat Pack, Coach Screams at Officials as Frustrated Nuggets Lose Again

5 hours ago

India Votes in Third Phase of National Elections; Modi Escalates His Rhetoric Against Muslims

5 hours ago

Fresno State Students Bring Home Wins From Model UN Competition

6 hours ago

New York Governor Regrets Saying Black Kids in The Bronx Don’t Know What a Computer Is

6 hours ago

Boy Scouts of America Changing Name to More Inclusive Scouting America After Years of Woes

6 hours ago

Four-Time Grammy Winner Debuts Song Inspired by College Protests

Rapper Macklemore has released a new song titled “Hind’s Hall,” igniting a wave of support for pro-Palestinian protesters on col...

19 mins ago

19 mins ago

Four-Time Grammy Winner Debuts Song Inspired by College Protests

28 mins ago

Planned Fresno Probation Gun Buyback Program Runs Afoul of State Law and SEIU

2 hours ago

Watch: Israel’s Oversized Influence in American Elections

3 hours ago

Own a Business? Learn How to Get a Piece of the $5.5 Billion Visa/Mastercard Settlement

3 hours ago

Special Report: How a 1965 Law Makes It Hard for the Poor to Get Mental Health Treatment

5 hours ago

CA Restaurants Shouldn’t Be Shocked That ‘Junk Fees’ Ban Applies to Them

5 hours ago

Did California’s Massive COVID Homeless Shelter Program Work? A New Evaluation Probes the Results

5 hours ago

Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama Is Rookie of the Year After a Record-Setting Season

MENU

CONNECT WITH US

Search

Send this to a friend