It’s time to observe the exceptional alignment of the 5 planets visible to the naked eye!

For several weeks, we have had to get up early to attend the conjunctions of planets and other celestial spectacles such as the eclipse of the Moon and the shooting star storm tau Herculides (last Monday) !

Now, two weeks after Mars crossed Jupiter at thedawn in a corner of the sky, there are five planets of the Solar system which appear together towards the east, at the end of the night. Five planets perfectly visible to theeye bare, including the very bright Jupiter and Venus. Certainly, it is not the first time this year that we can admire them reunitedbut new for the coming weeks is that they are presented in their actual order of distance from the Sunwhich hadn’t happened — from Earth’s perspective — since… December 2004.

Mercury, currently the closest planet to Earth

So when you put the nose outside after 4 a.m., will you see yourself lined up on the imaginary line of theecliptic (the map of theorbit planets) in order from lowest on the horizon to highest: Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Mercury also, but this Friday, June 3, it arrives just before sunrise and will therefore still be very low, so difficult to distinguish in the blazing gleams of dawn. It will be much better next week as it rises.

In parentheses, since we are talking about Mercury, let us point out that the most little planet of the Solar System — also closest to the Sun — is currently closest to Earth. It is not Venus or Mars, but rather Mercury with some 92 million kilometers (only) which separate us from it today, against 184.6 million for Venus and 216 million for Mars, our usual neighbours. Naturally, this changes constantly, at the rhythm of the revolutions of each one.

Of the five visible planets, Saturn is the first to rise, around 2 a.m. It is followed by Jupiter and Mars, above the east, an hour and a half later.

Gift from Heaven: Five Planets Aligned in 2018

Article of Xavier Demeersmann published on October 17, 2018

What marvels in the sky of this beginning offall, very soft. As soon as the Sun sets, you can watch for the appearance of the five brightest planets. But it’s not just them to see…

This summer, and especially in July, almost all the planets of the Solar System, except of course the Earth, were visible over the night. Some without instruments and others with the help of binoculars or telescopes. There was even a comet which flirted with the limit of visibility with the naked eye (C/2017 S3 Panstarrs) and a famous asteroid (Vesta)…

Three months later, all the planets are again united in the night. You can easily see the five brightest as soon as the Sun leaves, when the sky fills with stars. Venus and Mercury first, in the first light of the dusk. However, this is at the limit because they are both very low at the horizon and therefore go away very quickly. Also, to have a better chance of observing them, it is necessary to favor sites with a very clear western horizon.

The Moon invites itself in the middle of the aligned planets

A little higher in the sky, you’ll notice Jupiter “lighting up” above the southwestern horizon. The giant planet is one of stars the brightest of the evening with the Moon of course and Mars. The Moon, precisely, imposes itself in the middle of this alignment of planets. This evening of October 17, it can be seen radiating between Saturn and Mars. Tomorrow evening, faithful to her route and also a little “older” than in the first quarter, she invites herself right next to the Red Planet. Watch how the latter continues to shine with vigor. Admittedly, not as much as in the middle of summer, but its glowing glow still pierces the night.

Neptune is there too, further east, in Aquarius. But to distinguish it, it is better to arm yourself with a pair of binoculars or, of course, either a telescope or a telescope. Same for Uranus, another distant planet, which comes out of the horizon these days when others sink into it. We also add that Plutoconsidered a dwarf planet, is there too, shining faintly between Saturn and Mars.

Comets to observe in the autumn sky

Finally, remember that comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner continues its celestial journey. She’s right now in the vicinity of the dazzling Siriusin the Great Dog. A word of advice: to hope to see it (in an instrument), wait until the end of the night until it is high enough in the sky.

Also not to be missed, especially over the next few weeks: 46P/Wirtanen. She is announced as “the comet of the year”. Nothing less ! On December 16, Wirtanen will be the tenth comet to come closest to Earth since the 1950s. At that time, many specialists believe that it will be visible to the naked eye. For the time being, she is still traveling discreetly in the depths of the autumn night, within the constellation of the Furnace. A beautiful sight in perspective.

Beautiful alignment of planets to observe until February 20

Article by Xavier Demeersman published on January 21, 2016

Notice to all the curious, and especially early risers: the five brightest planets are visible together at the end of the night for a month, between January 20 and February 20, 2016. No need for an instrument to be able to admire this fairly rare planetary alignment. On certain dates, the waning Moon will shine alongside them.

astrumcelestial body ; asters planetswandering star. “The word planet is derived from planasthai“to wander hither and thither, to stray from the path”” wrote theastrophysicist Daniel Kunth in his book words from heaven (CNRS edition). In the terrestrial sky, we know a handful of these wandering stars which, as our ancestors observed several millennia ago (in Babylon, in China and probably elsewhere and before…), are distinguished from the so-called “fixed” articulated stars. in constellation, by their mobility. At least, with the naked eye, their movements are perceptible, for several cases, from one week to another. It’s one of the ways to make a difference with others light fixtures. We now know that these bright spots have a nature physical different from the distant stars (the planets are daughters of the stars, “children of the Sun”) and that they all take the path of the ecliptic, through the twelve, and even thirteen, constellations of the zodiac (Ophicuhus being the thirteenth), due to their orbits around the Sun.

On the eight planets of the Solar System (and even perhaps new according to the latest news), five are observable without an instrument: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn (as a reminder, they are associated with five of the seven days of the week). Regarding Uranus and Neptunetheir great distances with the Earth always prevented to distinguish them with the naked eye.

Quite a rare circumstance: at the end of the night, between January 20 and February 20, 2016, five of these wandering stars are visible together. Indeed, once Mercury has risen (this one is to be found near the southeastern horizon), approximately one hour before the Sun darts its first rays, we can admire with our eyes alone all these planets aligned in the celestial vault, between south-east and west, south-west.

Times of arrival of planets on alignment

Of course, to make the most of this relatively rare spectacle (the last time this happened was between December 15, 2004 and January 15, 2005), it is best to distance yourself from the light pollution for it harms the brightness of the stars, and to point an instrument, if you have one, at each of these stars. With a simple pair of binoculars, for example, you can distinguish the phases of the sparkling Venus, or the four Galilean satellites of Jupiter (discovered by Galileo).

It is the latter that opens the ball. At the moment, the giant planet emerges from the eastern horizon shortly before 10 p.m. (metropolitan France time), giving a spectacle to a number ofastronomers lovers who brave the winter cold its stripe-like equatorial bands, the transit of its red spot and, of course, the ballet of its moons (visible in binoculars). Four hours later, shortly before 2 a.m., March red joins her. Then it’s Saturn’s turn to enter the scene, around 4:45 a.m., followed about an hour later by Venus (around 6 a.m.). Finally, when Mercury appears in the light of dawn, the five protagonists are reunited.

Note that the waning Moon will be alternately in conjunction next to these planets until February 6th. First gibbous with Jupiter on January 27 and 28, then, on January 30, it passes by Spica (the brightest star in Virgo), on February 1, it appears last quarter alongside Mars, and two nights later, on February 3, it shines close to Saturn. Finally, beautiful and fine lunar crescents will be visible at dawn, not far from Venus and Mercury on February 5 and 6. Let us add that the most informed will undoubtedly take advantage of it to try to observe a tiny body of the Solar System: the comet C/2013 US10 (Catalina). Almost visible to the naked eye at the very beginning of this new year due to its activity, the star continues its journey towards the confines of the Solar System through the circumpolar constellations of the Giraffe and and of the Little Dipper.

To come back to this meeting of five planets which takes place at the end of the night, know that if for reasons of weather report or unavailability, you cannot admire them, it will be possible to catch up with you this summer with a new alignment of five planets, this time at the very beginning of the night, between August 13 and 19. At the same time, many curious people will watch for the last gasps of theannual rainshooting Stars of the Perseids.

Remember that, for those who do not already have it, you can simulate the sky and the movement planets on your computer (mac OS, Windows or linux) with the software free Stellarium. Just as through many apps for smartphones (iOS and android), of which we presented a selection last summer.