A Rare Planetary Alignment Is About to Happen. Here's How You Can See It

 

The April 20 alignment. (Stellarium)

One of many awe-inspiring astronomy experiences we might have is seeing the planets of the Solar System aligned in a neat line – and this month you might have a chance to see it with your own eyes.

 

From the middle of the month, you'll be able to see Saturn, Mars, Venus, and Jupiter all lined up in an almost-perfect planetary alignment in the pre-dawn sky if you're in the Northern Hemisphere.

 

The alignment will begin to form around April 17, but will be most visible on April 20 morning. You'll need to get up before daybreak on April 20 and look east to view the alignment from the United States.

 

If the viewing circumstances are good, you should be able to see all four planets lined in a cosmic row there on the horizon, however Jupiter's proximity to the horizon may make it a little more difficult to see.

 

Saturn, Mars, and Venus have been grouping together since late March, but Jupiter won't join the party until mid-April, as most astronomers already know.

 

The alignment is scheduled to become even more magnificent a few days later, on about April 23, when the Moon joins the party on the right.

 

The April 24 alignment, featuring the Moon. (Stellarium)

Of course, when heavenly bodies align like this, it can only happen in Earth's skies. Each planet's position would be radically different if viewed from a different point in space.

 

Because the Solar System is practically flat, with each planet orbiting the Sun in the same plane, any apparent alignment is only a matter of perception, depending on where and when you are.

 

Nonetheless, planetary alignments are an incredible sight to behold, and they don't happen very often — at least not with this many planets involved.

 

This month's alignment, while rare in and of itself, is really a taster for an even more spectacular occurrence scheduled for June of this year.

 

On June 24, all of the other planets in the Solar System – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus – will align in an even grander planetary alignment, though you'll need binoculars or a telescope to see Neptune and Uranus; the alignment will also stretch out over a larger area of the sky, making it harder to discern or photograph.

 

Despite these difficulties, significant planetary alignments like this one, which can be seen with the naked eye, are extremely rare and have only happened three times since 2005, so don't miss it.

Reference: Starwalk.space