Six planets are hanging out in early morning skies this month. Here’s how to spot them
New York – Six planets drag in the sky this month in what is known as a planetary parade. Attend the show while you can because it is the last of the year.
These links occur when several planets seem to line up in the night sky at the same time. These parades are quite common, which occur each year depending on the number of planets. According to NASA.
Six planets were visible in the January sky and each planet of our solar system was visible in February, but all could not be identified with the naked eye.
Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and a weak mercury are visible this month without any special equipment, and the best chances of spotting them are in next week. Uranus and Neptune can only be seen by twins and telescopes.
Jupiter and Venus made a brush tight earlier this week and are still close to each other in the oriental sky, “near each other like Cat’s eyes,” Carolyn Sumners told Houston Museum of Natural Science.
Mercury will be at its point furthest from the sun on Tuesday morning, which makes it easier to spot before it disappears in the glare of the sun.
To catch the planets, go out in the morning shortly before sunrise and look to the east. Try to find Jupiter and Venus grouped first. Saturn is on the side and Mercury will be close to the horizon, trying to get up in front of the sun.
“You are looking for small little points of light, but these are the brightest,” said Justin Bartel with the science Museum of Virginia. “They don’t really sparkle like the stars.”
Before leaving, make sure it is a clear and cloudless morning and try to move away from large buildings that could block the view.
Mercury will be hidden behind the sun again towards the end of the month, but a crescent moon will join the parade. The next major planetary meeting place is in February.
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