Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.A “planet parade” during which six planets will appear to align in the sky near dawn is on the way, but only three planets will be visible with the naked eye — and the phenomenon is more common than it sounds.“You’ll be able to see Mars, Saturn and Jupiter,” said Dr. James O’Donoghue, a planetary astronomer and research fellow at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. “If you have binoculars and if you know where to look, you could probably see Uranus, but there’s not much point in waiting until nearly sunrise — you might as well do that earlier in the night. Bottom line is that you can only see about half the planets in this planetary lineup with a naked eye.”The best day to see the spectacle in Europe and North America will be Sunday, about half an hour before sunrise, according to O’Donoghue. Aiming for that time frame would give you a chance to spot Mercury as well, although it might not be easy even with binoculars, he said.“The problem is that the sun will be illuminating the sky in that area,” O’Donoghue added. “It’s just before the sunrise, but it will still be very, very bright in the sky, and you probably don’t want to be pointing your binoculars near the sun either.”If you have one, a telescope would help, especially if you’re hoping to spot Uranus and Neptune …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnSign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.A “planet parade” during which six planets will appear to align in the sky near dawn is on the way, but only three planets will be visible with the naked eye — and the phenomenon is more common than it sounds.“You’ll be able to see Mars, Saturn and Jupiter,” said Dr. James O’Donoghue, a planetary astronomer and research fellow at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. “If you have binoculars and if you know where to look, you could probably see Uranus, but there’s not much point in waiting until nearly sunrise — you might as well do that earlier in the night. Bottom line is that you can only see about half the planets in this planetary lineup with a naked eye.”The best day to see the spectacle in Europe and North America will be Sunday, about half an hour before sunrise, according to O’Donoghue. Aiming for that time frame would give you a chance to spot Mercury as well, although it might not be easy even with binoculars, he said.“The problem is that the sun will be illuminating the sky in that area,” O’Donoghue added. “It’s just before the sunrise, but it will still be very, very bright in the sky, and you probably don’t want to be pointing your binoculars near the sun either.”If you have one, a telescope would help, especially if you’re hoping to spot Uranus and Neptune …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
