Planetary Alignment – Five Planets To Line Up Tonight

Astronomy and space fans will have another spectacular space event this week – planetary alignment. Five planets, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, Mars, and the Moon will line up in the night sky on 27th March.

Tuesday will be the best time to see the entire group just after sunset.

You’ll be able to observe the parade of the planets from the horizon to about halfway up the night sky. But take advantage of the exact time, which is about 30 minutes after sunset, as Mercury and Jupiter will soon disappear behind the horizon. 

Since the planets won’t be in a straight line from the standpoint of the sun, this isn’t an actual planetary alignment, but there’s still a decent chance to see a few of our solar system’s planets at once.

How can I see the planetary alignment in the UK?

To witness the event, you don’t need any special equipment. If you have clear skies and a view in the west, you can see the five planets spread from everywhere on Earth, but those in the Northern Hemisphere might have a better view. So, Britain has a good chance to catch the lovely night show if the weather allows it.

The brightest of the group, Venus, will be higher in the sky and simpler to see, whereas Uranus, which is close by, may appear faint, and you might need binoculars to see it. Look out for its green glow just above Venus to spot it. The red Mars will show brightly next to the Moon. 

How rare are planetary alignments?

A planetary alignment of this kind may occur once every few years. Still, capturing planets all together in an even smaller region of the sky is feasible – those occurrences are rare.

For example, one alignment last June was the first of its kind since 2004. The event consisted of all five planets visible to the naked eye: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.