For the first time this year, between the night of March 25 to 30, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars and Uranus can be seen completely aligned on Earth. This planetary alignment can be seen in the form of an arc following sunset, although it can be seen more clearly in places without artificial lights.
According to experts, the night of March 28 will be the best day for observation. Near the horizon, Jupiter and Mercury will be visible, while Venus will shine in the constellation Aries. Uranus, shining at magnitude 5.8, can be seen at a distance of regarding 2° from Venus. Finally, magnitude 0.9 Mars will join the lineup higher up in the sky, near the first quarter Moon in the constellation Gemini.
In Colombia, the best time to observe the lineup will be from 11:53 p.m. on the morning of the 29th.
order of planetary alignment
According to National Geographic, the order of the planetary alignment will be as follows:
- Mercury (the first planet of the Solar System).
- Jupiter (the fifth planet of the Solar System).
- Venus (the second planet of the Solar System).
- Uranus (the seventh planet of the Solar System).
- Mars (the fourth planet of the Solar System).
- The Moon (Earth’s only natural satellite).
In addition, National Geographic indicated that “if we are very lucky, it is possible that the Moon acquires a coppery or red hue, this depends on the atmospheric conditions of the night that we dedicate to astronomical observation.”
NASA reported that several planetary alignments will be presented throughout this year: a small evening alignment of Mercury, Uranus, Venus and Mars on April 24; a small morning alignment of Uranus, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn on May 29; a great morning alignment of Mercury, Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune and Saturn on June 17; a mini evening alignment of Mercury, Venus and Mars on July 26; and a mini-alignment of Mercury setting at sunset on August 24.
