A chance to see Five Planets gather in the sky after 11 years

The five planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are aligning simultaneously in a lineup together offering the people of Earth to observe a rare celestial gathering. Summing up as a visual extravagance for the individuals who like to watch the sky that will start from January 20 to February 20.

Last time the five planets were lined up was about 11 years ago starting from December 2004 to January 2005. For a month, the people can view the five planets through naked eyes as their positions will be along the Sun’s perceived path in our sky forming a diagonal line, with the help of a telescope and binoculars the view will be more clear and precise. The planets are rising one by one through the night in order to finally meet in the morning timely, before sunrise about 45 minutes early.

According to NASA, the lineup will occur twice this year now and next time in July late through mid-August, but two planets Mercury and Venus will not be visible easily from the Northern latitudes. So there will be a chance for the people who miss it for the first time. The moon is also slated to appear in the lineup along with other five planets forming a triangle on February 6.

If you are willing to see the lineup then make sure you are far from the cities as Venus and Mercury will be close to the horizon hanging that can be masked by the long buildings. Seeing the planet Mercury will be a challenge as it will very low in the southeast in the same direction where the sun rises, however, the other four planets can be seen easily before the dawn. The lineup will not be straight as they will be more scattered.

The best time for viewing the alignment of the five planets is an hour or an hour and a half before the sunrise, earlier than the planets will not be above the horizon and after that, the light of the rising sun will wash out the glimmer. According to the astrologers, February 5 is the best morning for seeing Mercury as the planet will more visible than any other day.

Missing both the occasion will not be advisable as the phenomenon will be again in the lineup after 2 years in October 2018.