That’s right. Not one, not two but five planets could be visible in the UK skies tonight in a rare celestial event. On March 28, the planets of Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars and Venus are expected to appear within a small 50-degree sky sector as part of a unique planetary parade.
While it’s not unusual to see two or three planets aligned, to see five is more uncommon, however, the celestial event occurred last year, as well as in both 2020 and 2016.
Which planets will be visible?
According to the astronomy app Star Walk, from sunset the “two bright objects” Jupiter (magnitude -2.1) and Mercury (magnitude -1.3) will be seen near the horizon, in the constellation Pisces.
Further up, in the constellation of Aries is where Venus will be with a magnitude of -4.0, while strong binoculars are advised if you want to catch a glimpse of Uranus with a magnitude of 5.8 near to Venus. Higher up in the sky, Mars will sit, near the first quarter Moon in the constellation Gemini and will be recognisable thanks its orange hue.
To easily identify the planets this month, Star Walk recommends using the app Sky Tonight, which can be pointed at the night sky to give a live display of what is going on. However, spotting these five visible planets also relies on the skies being clear and a nearly flat western horizon free of obstructions such as trees or buildings, in order to not miss out on seeing Jupiter and Mercury in the line-up, as these will appear very low in the west after sunset.
Is this the only chance to see such a sight?
Skywatchers don’t need to worry if they miss out on the spectacle, as Star Walk said a number of other planetary alignments will take place this year. Less than a month later (April 11) Mercury, Uranus, Venus and Mars are expected to align once again in a 35-degree sky sector.
Then on April 24, a 40-degree sector will take place seeing Mars, Venus, Uranus and Mercury gathering together — with even more planetary alignments happening throughout the summer. Plus, there are even more highly-anticipated planetary alignments to come in the future, although most of them won’t happen anytime soon (2040- what?), so don’t hold your breath.