Kite Neowise It is not the only cosmic phenomenon visible in the sky this weekend. On Sunday, July 19, sky watchers will be able to look up and spot five planets and the crescent moon, all without even using a telescope.
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, as well as the moon, will be close enough and bright enough to detect with the naked eye on Sunday, NASA said.
To view the program, you will want to set an early alarm. According to astronomer Dr. Jeffrey Hunt, you will be able to see the five planets plus the moon about 45 minutes before sunrise if you have a clear view of the horizon.
Four of the five planets will appear as extremely bright stars. Venus will be visible low in the east-northeast, Mars in the south-southeast, and Jupiter and Saturn in the west-southwest, the Griffith Observatory said.
Mercury is the most difficult to detect, and the use of binoculars will help focus it. It will be located to the right of the moon, in the east-northeast, and will appear as a small red dot.
“Make a fist and stretch your arm. Five degrees is about the distance from the knuckle of the thumb to the knuckle of the index finger,” Hunt recommends.
A basic pair of binoculars will also focus on Jupiter’s largest moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
While you will only be able to see Venus and Mercury before sunrise, it is also easy to see Jupiter, Saturn and Mars at night. A sky observation tool, such as Google Sky or Star Walk, can help eager viewers locate planets in the sky.
The phenomenon will be visible both in the northern hemisphere and in the southern hemisphere. All five planets will be in the sky for a few days, but Sunday is the only day that the crescent moon will also be visible.
Hunt said that Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are also in the sky between Venus and Jupiter, but a telescope is needed to detect the trio.
Very bright Jupiter and golden Saturn are having a great conjunction in 2020, when they will meet in the sky. The last major conjunction was on May 28, 2000 and the next occurs on December 21, 2020.
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