ORANGE COUNTY, CA – If you’re not an early riser, Sunday is the day to make an exception if you want to see five planets appear simultaneously in the night sky over California cities.
In a rare display, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn will be visible to the naked eye.
How early do you have to get up to see the event?
Set the alarm for two hours before sunrise to see the best view of Jupiter sinking into the southwest sky with Saturn just above and to the right, according to Travel and Leisure magazine.
Draw a curved line across both planets to the southern sky and you will reach Mars above the southeast horizon.
To see Venus and Mercury, trace the curve of Mars toward the horizon in the northeast. Before arriving, you will easily see Venus, one of the brightest objects in the night sky.
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Mercury is a little more elusive. If its timing is correct, the planet will rise in the northeast 45 minutes before sunrise, viewed from New York City. You’re looking for a little red dot, and a pair of binoculars would be nice to have on hand.
Save those binoculars for additional insight into Jupiter’s four largest moons: Europa, Ganymede, Io, and Callisto.
In Southern California, the sun will rise at 5:52 am on Sunday.
In Northern California, the sun will rise at 6:01 am on Sunday.
The best viewing will be just before 4 am, according to the report, except for the marine layer on our coast.
If you hope to detect all eight planets in the sky at the same time, unfortunately, it is not possible. Uranus and Neptune are not very visible to the naked eye and require a telescope.
Also, be sure to mark a special date between these five planets.
Just over 20 years from now, on September 8, 2040, there will be a “Great Conjunction” or “Golden Conjunction”, when Mars, Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Jupiter will be visible in the same little patch of the night sky . , just 10 degrees apart.
Where do you think you will be at 204o? Hopefully the coronavirus will be a distant memory! Stay safe, everything and happy watching the planet!
