Five planets line up in the night sky | Tech News

Five planets are visible in the sky tonight, lining up near the moon.

Stargazers will have the opportunity to spot Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars on the horizon.

According to Jack Foster, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the planets are visible from the west.

He told Sky News that even in a city as bright as London, Venus, Jupiter and Mars would be “easy to see with the naked eye”, although a telescope might be needed to spot Mercury and Uranus.

“If you face the western horizon, you should be able to see with the naked eye – without any specialized equipment – three planets aligned in the sky, and the moon.

“If you have a telescope or binoculars, there might even be five planets and a moon.”

Tonight would be the best time to check out the route.

While most will remain visible over the following nights, Jupiter will disappear.

why?

Mr Foster said the planetary alignment occurs because the solar system is shaped like a flat disk, with the planets orbiting the same flat region in space.

“So it’s inevitable that from time to time they align along this flat line that they take across the sky,” he explained.

“This can happen several times a year. The number of planets you can see changes, and the order of the planets changes.”

read more:
‘City Killer’ Asteroid Passes Between Earth and Moon

The Moon Can Have Its Own Time Zone — Here’s Why

When will it happen next time?

In June, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn can be seen in a line in the night sky.

The next alignment will occur in the fall and will include Mercury, Saturn, Venus, Uranus and Mars.

“We always encourage people to get out there and feel a connection to the sky above them,” Mr Foster said.

“These events are great opportunities to get out there and you can see some easy targets — amazing planets in our solar system.”

Source link