On Tuesday night, Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and Mars will emerge across the night sky, forming a five-planet alignment.
William Cooke, the head of NASA’s meteoroid environment branch, said the planets will align on Tuesday. He told CBS News that the arrangement will be “extremely attractive.”
“If you walk outside after dusk, after the sun has set, and gaze west, you will see these planets in a line reaching around 50 degrees,” he explained.
Cooke stated that, for ideal viewing circumstances, you must have a “clean western horizon” as dusk approaches. Jupiter, Venus, and Mars will be seen without difficulty, he claimed, although Mercury and Uranus would require binoculars.
Cooke said, “Anybody who can see the sun will be able to see it.”
Jupiter and Mercury will be closer to the horizon, while Mars will be positioned near to the moon. Uranus will look as a “greenish star” just above the moon. Venus will be close.
The huge planetary alignment, which is described as the alignment of five or six planets, will be visible in the days before and following March 28, according to the astronomy reference app Star Walk. But, March 28 will be the ideal day for viewing.
“Uranus will be the elusive creature you’ll be searching for in that alignment,” he told. If you collect planets, here is your opportunity to add Uranus to your collection.
Buzz Aldrin, a former Apollo astronaut, tweeted in anticipation of the event.
“Don’t forget to look up into the sky at the end of the month for the planetary alignment,” he said. “At least five planets, including the moon, will be visible in a nearly arc-like formation as seen from Earth.”
There will be further possibilities this year to see a planetary alignment, including April 11 and August 24. Mercury, Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune, and Saturn form a second five-planet alignment on June 17.
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn aligned in this uncommon order — identical to their normal positions from the sun — for the first time since December 2004 in June of last year.