How to spot the rare planetary alignment from home

For the first time in more than a decade, five planets are simultaneously visible to the naked eye. Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter have begun to ‘line-up’ on the sky canvas, starting January 20, Wednesday.

This ‘planetary showdown’ is expected to last till February 20 this year.

Stargazers are in for a rare treat as this astronomical alignment will be visible without a telescope or binoculars. One can easily spot the glimmer of these planets in the night sky.

 

Best time to spot the rare planetary event

Experts believe that the first time spot this event is around an hour to an hour and a half before sunrise till February 20. One can also see Uranus and Neptune during the first half of the night. However, you need a telescope or good quality binoculars to spot these two planets.

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The last few days of January and the first week of February is perhaps the best time to view this planetary ‘line-up’. But you don't need to wait and can start tonight actually.

How to spot this rare planetary alignment

A clear sky can be really confusing for a casual observer. Countless stars make the task of locating a specific body in the night sky even more difficult. But there is a simple way of easily spotting this astronomical event.

Venus, being the easiest to spot due to its unmatched brightness among planets, should be your starting point. Venus can be spotted over the southeast horizon, and on its left is the dimmest of all five planets, Mercury. Saturn is the second dimmest of the five you’re looking for, and can be located towards the right of Venus, a little higher than the brightest planet.

Coming to Mars and Jupiter, these two planets will be visible a little higher in the sky, about south and southwest. A closer observation will reveal a faintish red glow coming from Mars.