From January 20 to February 20, the planets Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter will all appear visible to the naked eye.
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Steve Allen/Getty Images The order of the planets and dwarf planet Pluto from the Sun can be easily remembered with the mnemonic, “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas”.
You’ll have to wait another 10 years to see a morning like this.
It’s the first time in more than a decade that the stellar positioning will be visible with the naked eye from Earth. “Jupiter is bright in the north, next comes reddish Mars, followed by pale Saturn and lastly brilliant Venus, which shines above the eastern horizon”.
Mercury will be the final planet to join the line up when it goes from being visible in the evening to the morning.
Hold your arm up in a straight line from the horizon to the moon and the planets should fall along that line.
The stars Antares and Spica will also shine in the same part of the sky.
Jupiter will rise first, followed by the red-tinted Mars, golden-looking Saturn, brightest planet Venus and lastly Mercury.
But EarthSky.org recommends using binoculars to see them more clearly. And even better is that you will be able to catch all five of these night sky jewels all the way until February 20.
Venus will likely be the easiest to spot as it is the brightest object in the sky behind the moon and the sun.
Researcher at Swinburne University in Melbourne, Dr Alan Duffy told Australian Geographic that the phenomenon is “essentially a quirk” of the universe as the five planets have different yearly cycles. To ensure you have the best chance of catching this rare event, try and find a viewing area with good visibility on the horizon such as a large, flat field, or somewhere with a high vantage point.
All of these planets will line up in a diagonal line from left to right.
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They will be visible from Wednesday, Jan. 20 to Saturday, Feb. 20.
