Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will all be visible aligning in the sky for the first time since 947AD.
From the horizon to the north you can find Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn. As the month nears its end, the moon will join in the conjunction, appearing below each of the planets from April 25 to 27, according to Space.com. On April 30, Venus and Jupiter will appear to be headed toward a collision course.
Star gazers are encouraged to gaze up at the sky as four planets line up in a rare astrological display.
The planets will be visible to the naked eye, looking like bright stars in perfect formation, a phenomenon known as the “planet parade”.
The alignment of the four planets will continue over the next few weeks in different configurations
“This planetary alignment is so special that we will have to wait another thousand years for this to happen again so the year 2492,” Andre Clayden, the director of observations at Springbrook Observatory in Queensland said.”
The most fabulous thing about this is you don’t need to buy expensive equipment and the display can be seen from all over the world, with stargazers and astronomers from New Zealand and the United States capturing the moment this morning.
Amateur astronomer Alexander Krivenyshev snapped a gorgeous shot this morning (April 15) of four planets aligned over Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Krivenyshev, the president of WorldTimeZone.com, took the photo at 5:36 a.m. EDT (0936 GMT) from Guttenberg, New Jersey, which is across the Hudson River from New York City. It shows Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn shining above city lights in a brightening predawn sky.
Seen in the northern hemisphere, Venus, Saturn and Mars began to cluster in late March 2022, though whether they’re far enough above the horizon to view before sunrise depends on your location. Observers farther east and south in North America will have views in the wee hours of the morning, while those in the Pacific Northwest won’t see the cluster rise until about an hour before sunrise.
April 17 was when, Jupiter joined the line of Venus, Mars and Saturn. The moon will move into the planetary conga line on April 23, appearing to the right and above Saturn, before moving out of view on April 29
Finally, around mid-June, Mercury will zip into place alongside the other four planets, with Earth’s moon joining the party on June 17. Coincidentally, the planetary line will be in the order of the planets’ distance from the sun.
The alignment comes after Jupiter and Saturn came together in December 2020 in the “Great Conjunction,” when they appeared the closest they have been since the Middle Ages.
This won’t be the only time you can spot multiple planets at once this year. From late June to early July, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will appear in the early-morning sky.
