TEMPLE, Texas — Five planets are aligning in the night sky over the next few nights until March 30. March 28 is going to be the best night to view this phenomena.
How can I view it from my own backyard?
You want to look toward the west near the moon just after sunset on March 28. All the planets orbit the same plane, so you should be able to draw a line from one to the other.
The best time will be within the first hour of sunset. Sunset will be around 7:45 p.m. over the next few nights. The earlier you check the better as cloud cover is expected to increase heading into the new week.
As the Earth rotates, the planets will move along the sky rather quickly, so Jupiter and Mercury will disappear first. Mars will start above the moon, then below the moon as we head into the later parts of the evening.
Jupiter, Venus and Mars are all visible to the naked eye due to the relative closeness to Earth, and/or how large they are in comparison to the solar system. Mercury and Uranus are too small and/or too far away so you may need a pair of binoculars or a telescope to see them.
If you happen to miss out on this event, don't worry as there are a number of other planetary alignments set to take place throughout this year. Keep in mind that Earth moves fast compared to the outer planets so there will be a number of opportunities in the future.
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