Early morning risers will be treated to a celestial surprise for the next couple weeks, weather permitting.
Starting on Jan. 20, five bright planets — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn — will grace the morning sky in the hour or so before sunrise, marking the first time in more than 10 years the five worlds have made an appearance in the sky together.
If you manage to step outside early enough, you should be able to spot all five planets in something resembling a row across the sky.
Tanya Hill, senior curator at the Melbourne Planetarium, told Mashable Australia the phenomenon will be visible around the world. For those in the Southern Hemisphere, she advises looking in the northern sky and following the planets down towards the east. For those in the Northern Hemisphere, she said to look in the southern sky down to the eastern horizon.
The five planets should be largely visible from Jan. 20 to Feb. 20, she said. Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn have been spottable since early in the year, but Mercury completes the quintet as it climbs over the eastern horizon. She recommended late January for optimum viewing, as Mercury will become less visible into February.
By Ariel Bogle, Mashable, SouthFloridaReporter.com, Jan. 20, 2016
