all of you early risers may have noticed the lovely line of bright planets across the sky in the morning hours before sunrise lately. definitely get out and have a look between jan 20th and feb 20th for a spectacular view, no matter where on earth you live!
you'll need to be able to see low on the horizon to spot mercury until early february or so, but you can do it if you have an unobstructed view!
this alignment of the planets has not occurred for over ten years. it's rare because all the planets have to be on the same side of the sun in their orbits. while venus, mars, jupiter, and saturn have been in the morning sky all year, mercury is just getting ready to transition from being visible in our evening sky to being visible in the morning sky. hopefully the visualisation below makes that clear.
so... get out early and LOOK UP!
you'll need to be able to see low on the horizon to spot mercury until early february or so, but you can do it if you have an unobstructed view!
this alignment of the planets has not occurred for over ten years. it's rare because all the planets have to be on the same side of the sun in their orbits. while venus, mars, jupiter, and saturn have been in the morning sky all year, mercury is just getting ready to transition from being visible in our evening sky to being visible in the morning sky. hopefully the visualisation below makes that clear.
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| via The Conversation |
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