Here's Your Chance To See Every Planet In Our Solar System At The Same Time
This week presents a unique chance to see all of the seven other planets in our solar system in the sky at the same time.
"What an opportunity to get outside, spend some time with your family, out in nature, underneath the night sky, communing with the universe," astronomer Stephan Martin said in a recent interview.
(MORE: Astronomers Explain NASA's 2032 Asteroid Projections)
Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury and Saturn are potentially visible to the naked eye, but Mercury will be the hardest of those to spot.
For Uranus and Neptune, you'll need binoculars or a telescope.
"So what people will notice is that all the planets will be lined up almost like pearls on a string across the sky," said Martin.
"In terms of alignment, they're all going to appear to be in a line because that's the line called the ecliptic, that the planets, the sun, the moon all follow because our solar system orbits the sun on the same plane, and we see that plane as a line throughout the sky."
This parade of planetswill peak Friday night, with the best time to look being around sunset, or just after 6 p.m. EST.
You'll need to look toward the western horizon, and those with a view low in the sky will have the best chance to spot the most planets.
(MORE: When To See The Blood Moon)
Of course, it all depends on the weather. From weather.com digital meteorologist Jonathan Belles:
The bigger trouble spots for the planetary parade are going to be the Northeast and somewhere in the Southwest.
Northeast: A quick-moving clipper system will slide from the Great Lakes to the Interior Northeast during the evening. Portions of the upper Midwest and Northern Plains may also have some leftover cloud cover.
A low-pressure system and related jet stream will push clouds across parts of the Southwest and perhaps parts of Texas and Florida. This forecast is less certain being four days out. Some of the models have the system in California while others are in Nevada or New Mexico.
Also, the stream of clouds that comes with the jet stream has some uncertainties: How far north will the clouds reach and will there be enough moisture for clouds closer to the Gulf?
Stephan Martin was interviewed by weather.com producer and editor Caroline Aylward.
Weather.com senior writer Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.
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