Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn: those are the planets stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere will be able to glimpse this week during what The Weather Channel called a planet parade. While you won’t be able to spot them all at the same time, you could snag views of Mercury and Venus after sunset and Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn before dawn — read on to find out how.
March is an excellent month for “catching all five bright planets,” according to EarthSky. They define bright planet as one in our solar system that can be viewed without an optical aid “and that’s been watched since time immemorial.”
Whoa! Cool. In March 2018, you can see all 5 bright planets. https://t.co/kwFqw9Gzhk Look west after sunset for Mercury and Venus. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are up before dawn. #Mercury #Venus #Jupiter #Mars #Saturn #visibleplanets pic.twitter.com/oyss7rrvb2
— EarthSky (@earthskyscience) March 2, 2018
Related: Google maps the solar system for armchair space travelers
Catch Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn before dawn; according to EarthSky, Jupiter should rise around one hour after midnight, and Mars and Saturn appear closer to dawn. The planets have slightly varying rising times depending on where you are on Earth; EarthSky recommends a few sky almanacs accessible here.
The Weather Channel said people in the Rocky Mountains and areas in the South will have the best opportunity for viewing on Wednesday morning. On Thursday morning, the South and areas in the West will be the best locations. If you’re in the Northeast, you might be out of luck; Winter Storm Quinn could obstruct the view, according to meteorologist Chris Dolce.
See all 5 bright planets in March https://t.co/Tol9xs2C3L
You can't see them simultaneously. But, especially from the Northern Hemisphere, March 2018 is a great month for catching all 5 bright planets either after sunset, or before dawn. pic.twitter.com/tE7rkvHOYs— EarthSky (@earthskyscience) March 2, 2018
Mercury and Venus will appear close together in the first few weeks of March, and you can catch them in the west after sunset. Venus is around “12 times brighter than Mercury,” so EarthSky recommends searching for Venus if you’re having trouble finding our solar system’s smallest planet.
If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, don’t worry! You’ll get your shot at spotting the five planets in April.
Via EarthSky and The Weather Channel
Images via Greg Rakozy on Unsplash and Paul VanDerWerf on Flickr
