Rare planetary parade in night sky Saturday can be witnessed with naked eye
· Toronto Sun
Turn your gaze to the night sky on Saturday to witness a rare celestial event.
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If the weather conditions are clear and the sky is dark, stargazers can see with their naked eyes six planets in a phenomenon known as a planetary parade.
What planets will be visible?
Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune will be visible for Canadians across most of the country.
“Because the planets in our solar system travel around the Sun in the same plane (known as the ecliptic), they will sometimes appear bunched together in the sky when their orbits find them on the same side of the Sun at the same time,” NASA says .
“When this happens, it looks like the planets have roughly formed a line from our vantage point on Earth.”
According to Scott Young , the planetarium astronomer at the Manitoba Museum, the planetary parade for people living in the Northern Hemisphere began on Tuesday.
“Be outside with a clear western horizon by 6:30 p.m. local time,” he said.
Where and when to look
He said Canadians should go outside after sunset to view Venus, Mercury, and Saturn together. Jupiter will also be visible higher up while binoculars and telescopes will be needed to catch a glimpse of Uranus and Neptune.
“Probably your last chance to see Mercury before it fades into the evening twilight,” he added.
For amateur astronomers, there is one trick to know what is a planet and what is a star.
“If it’s twinkling, it’s a star. If it is not twinkling, it’s a planet,” Humber Polytechnic planetary scientist Sara Mazrouei told The Associated Press .
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Lunar eclipse on tap as well
Meanwhile, Canadians are also in for another celestial treat when a total lunar eclipse will be visible beginning Monday night and continuing into Tuesday morning.
“As the night goes on, the Moon will slowly move into Earth’s shadow and begin to darken. The main moment is called totality, when Earth completely blocks sunlight from reaching the Moon,” the Canadian Space Agency said this week .
“During this moment, the Moon often has a red glow. No telescope needed, just step outside, look up, and hopefully enjoy clear skies.”