Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Neptune, Uranus and Mercury gaze in a “planetary parade” this week, but your ability to actually spot them will depend on preparation, equipment and, as always, a spot of luck with the weather.
Most of this week planetary action with the naked eye will take place low in the western sky, and that is where the aforementioned preparation comes in. Be sure to stake out an elevated spot with an unobstructed view of the horizon well in advance—you can use one stargazing app for smartphone to find out exactly where the planets will be in your local environment, so there is no need to guess.
Do so and you will be given a rare, if challenging, opportunity to discover Mercury shines 10 degrees – about the width of your clenched fist held at arm’s length – across the late winter skyline, with Venus near its left side, and floundering in the glow of the setting sun. Saturnmeanwhile, will shine less than 10 degrees to the upper left of Venus, with a distant cousin lurking nearby, but more on that later.
Mercury and Venus will follow the sun out of sight about an hour after sunset, and briefly become more visible as the sky darkens and they grow closer to the horizon. Jupitermeanwhile, shining high in the eastern sky, with the waxing gibbous moon below, will obscure stars of the constellation Cancer with its reflected light.
The next two planets will need a bit of extra magnification to spot – and even then you’ll have the odds stacked against you.
The ice giant Neptune will be located two degrees to the right of Saturn, but will be too faint to see with the naked eye. Under dark skies, a telescope with an aperture of 200 millimeters or more can reveal its small bluish disk. However, its position low on the horizon and close to the glare of our parent star will make it a challenge to spot on the nights around February 28. As always, the utmost care must be taken to ensure that the sun is well below the horizon before it points telescope equipment in its general direction.
Uranusmeanwhile, you can find by swiping your sights over the patch of sky 5 degrees below Pleiades open star cluster, to the right of the “V” formation of stars i the constellation Taurus in the hours after sunset. Again, those new to the night sky might want to use an astronomy app for your smartphonewhich makes use of augmented reality technology to help you find everything from constellations and planets to galaxies and meteor shower rays.
Award-winning night sky photographer Josh Dury battled the sheer scale of the scene along with the glow of the sunset and other challenges to capture a gorgeous long exposure view of the planet parade earlier this week as it lit up the skies over southern England.
For more, check out our handy guide on the equipment needed to see and photograph the planets. If you’re into photography, why not also read our roundups of the best cameras and lenses for capturing the night sky?
Editor’s Note: If you would like to share your planetary astrophotography with Space.com readers, please send your photos, comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.
