We can normally see the brightest planets in the solar system in the night sky throughout the year in their planetary dance. But they are not often lined up so spectacularly. There is another reason why this is special: the planets appear in the sky in the same order as they are out of the sun: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The best part is that you do not even need a pair of binoculars to see the show. But you will need a good view of the eastern horizon.
Where and when to look
The planetary competition has started a few weeks ago. But on Thursday, Mercury will be at its highest point in the eastern sky, making it a little easier to see. That does not mean it is high, though. will be only about three degrees above the horizon. The time to look is about an hour before sunrise. You can check sites like Time and date the The Weather Network for your local sunrise / sunset times. The next planet outside Mercury is the undisputed Venus, the brightest planet in our night sky. It descends slowly to the horizon where it will finally become visible in the evening sky in autumn. The next in this lineup is not a planet at all, but a beautiful crescent, which will be located between Venus and Mars, the next planet in the show. Mars is not exactly at its brightest, but you will not be able to miss it for its reddish color. You can easily find it to the left of the second brightest planet in the sky, Jupiter, which – like Venus – is hard to miss. Early awakeners can see an alignment of five planets in the sky in the coming days (from left to right): Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. This is the sky as seen from Toronto at 4:45 a.m. Thursday. (Stellarium / CBC News) And finally, there is Saturn, which you can find higher in the southeast. Of course, in reality these planets are still millions of kilometers apart, but their orbits happen to place them at a top point of view for us here on Earth. Although you do not need binoculars, if you have a pair, try to control the planets. They can also help you find the much dimmer Mercury embracing the horizon. (Just be careful not to get caught so much that you use binoculars when the sun rises, as Mercury will be lost in its glow and you may inadvertently look at the sun.) What can be a lot of fun, though, is to turn your binoculars on Jupiter, and in particular, do it in a few days. The four brightest moons of Jupiter – Callisto, Europa, Io and Ganymede – are easily seen through a modest pair of binoculars. The moons orbit the giant of the solar system so fast that you can see them changing positions night after night (even overnight if you have the patience). To find out which moons you are looking at, you can refer to Sky & Telescope’s Jupiter’s Jupiter page (there is also a smartphone app available).
