The end of March is a unique opportunity to see as many as five planets of the solar system at the same time. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will line up almost in one line in the sky. We suggest where to look for them and how to recognize each of them.
The coming evenings are a great opportunity to see most of the planets of the solar system with your own eyes. Not only will the darker ones be easier to locate in the sky, but we will also be able to spot all five objects at the same time. They were almost lined up.
Five planets in one line in the sky. You don’t need binoculars
This rather rare phenomenon is often referred to as a parade of planets. Already on Tuesday (but also in the following days) we will see as many as five planets in the sky – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus. And not just one night, but almost at the same time. In fact, we are dealing here with simultaneous conjunctions, i.e. the arrangement of the planets in their orbits in such a way that from our perspective they are in one line. Thanks to this, they seem to be adjacent to each other in the sky.
Thus, Mercury can be admired with Jupiter, and Venus is right next to Uranus. Moreover, these planets and Mars are lined up in the sky from our perspective. As if that wasn’t enough, on Tuesday evening Mars will still be visible right next to the Moon, which will be in the first quarter on Wednesday morning (almost half of its disk is now visible). On Wednesday and the following days, the Silver Globe will move further in the sky, but you will be able to admire the parade of planets further.
How to see the parade of planets and recognize each of them?
If we want to see all five (currently visible) planets, we should go for observations before dark. Mercury and Jupiter, which are close to each other in the sky, seemingly follow the Sun and hide behind the horizon before 8 pm. Observations of these two planets are therefore best combined with admiring the sunset – they should appear in the still orange sky, just after our star hides below the horizon. The first to set will be Jupiter, which is also slightly brighter than Mercury.
Venus will be much higher above the western horizon and will be bright enough to attract attention right away. Earth’s neighbor is distinguished by a white glow and is brighter than all the stars visible in the sky, so recognizing it should not be a problem. Observations of Uranus, which is right next to it, need to wait until the sky is dark.
The brightness of Uranus puts this planet on the verge of being visible to the naked eye and in good conditions, which cannot be counted on due to the presence of the Moon in the sky. So you will probably need to use even the simplest binoculars to spot Uranus. This is an exceptionally good time to try to find it for the first time in your life, because it is right next to the very bright Venus in the sky and should fit in the field of view along with it. Uranus and Venus will go below the horizon in the late evening, but both planets (as well as Jupiter and Mercury) will be visible in subsequent evenings.
Last but not least, Mars is still relatively bright and easily visible to the naked eye. This planet can be found much higher above the south-western (later west) horizon and is easily distinguished by its strong orange color. Here, however, you have to be careful, because below Mars in the sky there are two stars similar to Mars in brightness and yellow-orange color – Betelgeuse and Aldebaran. In case of problems, you can always use smartphone applications – e.g. Stellarium.
