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5 planets will align for the first time in 10 years. Here’s how to see them.
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn should be visible starting early Wednesday, but Griffith Observatory said Angelenos's best bet is to look up about half an hour before sunrise Saturday.
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Chris Gladis/Flickr/Creative Commons
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Here’s one reason to get up before dawn the next few days: All five planets visible to Earth will make a rare appearance in the sky at the same time.
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will form a line of bright points. This hasn’t happened since 2005, according to Earthsky.org.
The five planets should show up starting Wednesday, but Anthony Cook, astronomical observer at Griffith Observatory, said that Angelenos' best bet is to look up about half an hour before sunrise on Saturday.
He said that’s when Mercury, the hardest bright planet to see (because it’s so close to the sun), will be most visible along with red Jupiter, orange Mars, golden Saturn, and the brightest of them all, Venus.
“You can do it just by looking up,” said Cook. “But binoculars are always helpful.”
California’s sky is generally clear during the winter, but El Niño clouds could potentially block the view.
“If you don't see it on the 23rd of January, don't give up,” said Cook. “You should really have almost a whole month to try.”
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