‘Unusual’ winter conditions creating bright, vivid planetary parade

FILE - A girl looks at the moon through a telescope in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sunday, May 15, 2022. Six planets will line up in the early morning sky on June 3, 2024 but most won't be visible to the naked eye. A planetary parade happens relatively often when several planets align on the right side of the sun, making them visible across a narrow band of our sky. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) (Matias Delacroix/AP)

The planets have been putting on a show over the last few weeks, with an even more dazzling display still to come across the Manitoba sky.

Planetarium Astronomer Scott Young said most of the planets have been visible for quite a while, creating what is called a planetary alignment or a planetary parade.

“Technically, the planets are always lined up,” Young explained.

“The key is—how many can you see at the same time? And that’s what sort of makes the visual impact. This winter’s a little bit unusual, because we could see all of the bright, naked eye planets visible at the same time.”

According to NASA, the astronomical linkup can happen at least every year depending on the number of planets. A parade of four or five planets visible to the naked eye happens every few years, it said.

Young said Venus is currently the brightest, with Mercury beneath, sitting quite low on the horizon. Saturn is also visible, he said, but you’ll have to have really good eyes and really clear skies to catch it.

Farther to the south, the next two brightest planets are Jupiter and Mars, with Jupiter higher up in the south. Mars tends to sit a little bit farther towards the east.

“Uranus and Neptune are also in that area of the sky, but the average person isn’t going to be able to see them,” he said.

It’s predicted the planetary alignment will be at its best and brightest on Thursday or Friday.

To spot the alignment, you should head outside on a clear, cloudless night after sunset. The planets will shine brighter than the stars, and Mars will look like a reddish-orange dot. Stargazing apps may help with where to look.

Still, the celestial show’s clock is ticking. Young warns each planet moves at its own speed and will slowly fade out one by one. Saturn is set to disappear fairly soon, while Mercury will be visible into the middle of March, before it fades away into the sun’s view. Venus will fade later that month, as well.

Meanwhile, sky-gazers can rejoice in another celestial treat; a total lunar eclipse is expected on March 13 and 14, which is likely to be visible across Canada.

“There’s always something cool going on up there, and you just have to pay attention.”

- With files from the Associated Press