Known as the ‘bright planets’ of the solar system, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars will line up in the sky along with the Moon in the last days of March. This ‘planet meeting’ will also be visible to the naked eye.
Astronomers state that the best time to observe this rare cosmic event would be Tuesday, March 28.
NASA astronomer Bill Cooke says it’s enough to look at the western horizon from anywhere on Earth just after sunset to see the ‘five planets’.
However, Mercury and Jupiter will quickly descend towards the sunset line on March 28, leaving the horizon. So it will only be visible for about an hour.
The red planet Mars will be observed above the crescent Moon on March 27 and below the Moon on March 28 and beyond.
CAN IT BE WATCHED WITH THE BARE EYES?
Astronomer Bill Cooke states that Jupiter, Venus and Mars can be seen with the naked eye because they are brighter, but binoculars or telescopes may be needed for the other two planets:
“Venus will be one of the brightest planets in the sky, and Mars will be seen with a reddish glow near the Moon. Mercury and Uranus will be dimmer so they may be harder to spot. You’ll probably need to get a pair of binoculars.”
Saying that this is a rare opportunity to see Uranus in particular, Cooke says, “If you pay attention to the green glow of Venus just near it, you will see it.”