A Spectacular Planetary Parade
People look up to the sky from an observatory near the village of Avren Bulgaria Aug. 12 2009. (AP Photo-Petar Petrov, File)
Sonora, CA – Tonight, looking up into the night sky will bring a treat to the eyes as every planet in the solar system can be viewed.
Known as a “planetary parade,” seven planets appear in the sky at once, close together on one side of the sun but not in a straight line, though several will be hard to see with the naked eye.
Depending on the number of planets, the astronomical linkup can occur at least once a year. NASA says that every few years, four or five planets are visible to the naked eye. But this will be the last time seven planets can be viewed so clearly at once until 2040.
Last June, only two planets could be seen without special equipment, and this month, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter are visible to the naked eye. A faint Saturn and Mercury are close to the horizon, making them hard to spot. Uranus and Neptune can be glimpsed with binoculars and telescopes. To get in on the sighting, go outside tonight after sunset, as the planets shine brighter than the stars, and Mars looks like a reddish-orange dot. Then, throughout the spring, the planets will gradually depart.
