The parade of the planets is currently taking place in our solar system with five planets lining up for a cosmic dance that will dazzle skywatchers all over the world.
Here a compilation of pictures by astrophotographers from different areas around the globe capturing this rare phenomenon that occurs for the first time since 2005 in the morning sky.
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are aligning for the first time in over a decade.
The planetary alignment visible in Earth’s skies is due to the relative positions of the planets in their orbits around the sun.
There’s no need for telescopes or binoculars to see the event, since all five planets look like bright stars in the morning twilight.
The best time to look will be from Saturday, January 23 through the end of the first week of February.
The prime time to see Mercury and the other planets will be about 30 to 60 minutes before local sunrise.
Venus, the brightest of all the visible planets, will appear to the upper right of Mercury. The other three planets will be further to the upper right of Venus.
Yellow-colored Saturn, a bit dimmer than Venus, comes first.
Mars will appear to Saturn’s right, looking bright orange, with Jupiter off to its far upper right, completing the alignment high in the southern sky.
By February 6, the thin crescent moon will pose with brilliant Venus and Mercury low in the southeast at dawn.
If you miss this alignment, your next chance to so easily see a grand parade of five planets will be in July 2020.
