rare phenomenon
Standing still for stargazing: “Planet Parade” is currently on
The bright gas planet Jupiter also joins the planetary parade
© Knut Niehus/ / Picture Alliance
There is currently a rare constellation in the sky – the so-called planetary parade. Several planets of the solar system can be seen in a row at the same time.
A parade of planets can currently be seen at dawn. This is the name given to a constellation in which the planets in our solar system appear to line up when viewed from Earth. A fairly rare phenomenon.
It is also unusual that these planets, which orbit the sun like our earth, can be observed with the naked eye. They are lined up like “pearls on a chain,” according to the BBC in an article about the phenomenon, which last appeared in 2004 and won’t be seen again until 2040.
However, if you want to see the planets lined up in a line, you have to get up early, because the constellation is mainly visible at sunrise, according to current articles on the subject. Then you can spot Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn when the sky is clear. Theoretically, you could even see all seven planets – but Uranus and Neptune are so far away from Earth and correspondingly faint that you can’t see them after all.
Mercury gets too much light at the planetary parade
And the planet closest to the sun, Mercury, is also barely visible or not visible at all, limits “SWR knowledge”. Because he is outshined by the bright light of the sun. However, Mercury should be visible from the southern hemisphere.
After all – of the seven planets that orbit the sun in addition to the earth, four can be seen in the early morning hours on a cloudless sky.
The current constellation is also special because the planets can be seen in the exact order in which they orbit the earth, the BBC notes.
The phenomenon, also known as a conjunction, was most evident on Friday morning. But until Monday morning, astronomy fans have the opportunity to enjoy the planetary parade. After that, the rare, beautiful order in the morning sky is over.
Sources: BBC, SWR Knowledge, Starwalk Space