Stargazers are being treated to a rare “planet parade” this month, with most of the planets visible in the night sky at the same time.
Astrophysicist Dr Rebecca Allen, co-director of Swinburne University’s space technology and industry institute, said it would be a rare opportunity to see so many planets lined up above the horizon, especially outer ones like Neptune.
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus would be the most conspicuous, especially around 21 January, although stargazers may also spot Neptune and Uranus with the help of binoculars or a good telescope.
“They happen to all be in their orbits on the same side of our sun, within the same degrees in our sky, so that we can see them,” she said. “That is special.”
The planets would not actually be getting physically closer, she said; they would just appear that way from Earth.
“Really it’s about perspective. All of these planets are vast distances from us and from each other.”
Planets closer to the sun, like Venus – a rocky, Earth-sized orb – will be brighter and easier to see, she said. The planet, often called the “morning star” or “evening star”, goes through phases in a way similar to the moon and would be interesting to watch across a series of weeks.
Venus and Saturn had a “conjunction” in January, meaning they would appear closer together in the night sky, she said. Through a telescope, stargazers would even be able to see Saturn’s rings, appearing “edge on” like a sliver.
Mars and its features would be particularly clear, Allen said. The sun is in opposition, she said, meaning “you’re looking at Mars, and the sun is behind you”.
Jupiter – the fifth planet, and the largest – would appear near Orion, a constellation many Australians knew as “the saucepan”. With a telescope, she said, it was possible to make out the clouds on Jupiter’s surface and some of its moons.
Con Stoitsis, from the Astronomical Society of Victoria, said four of the planets were “like beacons” that could easily be seen at about 9:45pm on a clear night with a view to the horizon. “You can’t miss them,” he said.
Facing north, Venus and Saturn would be to the left, he said, and Jupiter to the right, followed by Mars in “brilliant red” a couple of hours later.
As well as the planet parade, Stoitsis said it was a good time to watch out for satellites, which looked like bright stars that moved.
“It’s quite busy up there. If you want to sit under the stars and get a deck chair out, I’d say within an hour, you’ll probably see half a dozen satellites.”
Stoitsis, the society’s comets and meteor director, said enthusiasts were currently keeping a close eye on the comet known as C/2024 G3 (ATLAS), which recently survived an encounter with the sun.
Comets are like cats, he said: “They’ve got tails, and behave the way they want to.” They were also unpredictable, and this one would either be extremely bright and visible around 18 January, or it might fizz out.
Allen said the best view of the planet parade would be around 21 January as the moon waned. A basic sky map was helpful, she said, with many now available as phone apps. Local astronomical societies and observatories also often have more information or held special events.
“We’re very fortunate, all of us on Earth, that we are going to be seeing this alignment happen in some of the most famous and easily seen summer constellations … Orion and Gemini and Taurus,” she said.
“It’s school holidays. Take the kids out. It’s a chance where you can actually use binoculars and see pretty much all of the planets this month.”
Article by:Source – Petra Stock
