If the clouds hold off, Tuesday’s evening sky could present one of your last chances for several months to see five planets form a line just after sunset.
According to the sky tracking site Starwalk, Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and Mars will be visible from Earth during the planetary alignment – but you may need clear skies to see them.
Astronomer Jan Cami also recommends using a regular set of binoculars. “Jupiter and Mercury are very low at the horizon and close to the sun they are also hiding in the glare of the twilight and that makes it very hard to see these planets.”
He said you will also need to have a place where you have a clear view of the western horizon. “If there are buildings or trees in the way of your western horizon they are going to be below that building or trees and you aren’t going to be able to see the planets.”
Jupiter and Mercury will be visible close to the horizon, in Pisces, and Venus will be higher up in Aries.
Uranus will also line up nearby and lastly, Mars will appear higher in the sky near the moon, completing the five-planet alignment.
All the planets orbit the Sun in almost the same plane. When viewed from earth, they appear to move along a line in the night sky called the ecliptic.
Next week, Jupiter will move behind the sun, meaning it won’t be visible in the night skies for several months.
Astronomer Fred Barett said the next time you’ll be able to see an alignment is in the early morning starting around June 24th. “Then it will be 45 minutes before sunrise and you will have to look to the east this time and those planets will slowly rise up to the horizon rather than sinking down,” he said.
Prior to viewing the alignment, check the local forecast in your area. Tuesday night is forecast to be slightly cloudy in the Toronto area, so it should be possible to see the planets.