For the first time since December of 2004 something cool is happening in the pre-dawn sky.
All 5 naked eye planets are currently visible at the same time before the sun comes up. This is quite rare. What is even rarer is that they are in order of their respective orbits. Mercury appears dimmest and closest to the horizon, with Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn sitting above one another in an arc that runs almost halfway across the sky.
This alignment has been going on for the past couple of weeks, but Mercury is just now becoming easier to spot in the bright twilight glow. It will continue to brighten over the coming days as the moon has joined in on the sky show as well.
On Wednesday morning, you will find the moon sitting to the right of Mars, then slowing sinking towards Venus by Saturday. On Sunday, the moon will sit barely left of Venus and by Monday, a barely illuminated crescent moon will sit just up and left of Mercury, now much easier to see as it has brightened even more.
The good news is that you don’t need super dark skies to see this display. It is visible even in light polluted areas as long as you have a good, unobstructed view of the south and eastern skies.
Be sure to set an alarm to check out this amazing sky show one day this week!
