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Space activity picks up in April with Two meteor showers And historical Artemis II launchwhich finally returned humans to the moon and is scheduled to return home on Friday. Stargazers looking for more to do during the first full month of spring have a few things coming up, including a minor planet show where four planets are scheduled to be in the sky at the same time.
The mini-show starts around April 16 and runs until about the end of the month. It includes Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Neptune. All four planets are relatively close to each other on the eastern horizon before sunrise each day. Those planning to watch the show will need to stay up almost all night or get up very early to see it.
The four planets will be visible before sunrise on the eastern horizon.
The best time to watch it depends on where you are. If you are at a higher altitude, the best time is before 6 a.m. local time. People at sea level will have to wait for the planets to appear above the horizon just after 6 a.m. local time, and the sun will quickly chase them down, giving viewers a narrow window to see the four planets before sunrise.
Since sunrise depends on location, you may have as much as 40 minutes or as little as 20 minutes to see the four planets. You’ll need to check sunrise times in your area to see if you have enough time to spot the four planets before sunrise.
Neptune will not be visible with the naked eye, but it will be close to the other three planets.
The close proximity to the sun and narrow window make April’s planetary display one of the most difficult to see, according to Gésa Jueck, senior director of astronomy at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago.
“Mercury, as always, is close to the sun and difficult to see,” Geok told me. “Since Mars and Saturn will be close to Mercury, it will also be difficult to see them without a very low eastern horizon.”
The planet’s parade in April becomes easier to see as the days go by, and attempts made after April 20 are likely to be more successful than those made before. April 18 to 24 are the best days to try. Before those dates, Saturn is slightly close to the Sun and rises late above the horizon, and after them, Mercury begins to drift precariously close to the Sun.
Get out (or borrow) a telescope
Skygazers need at least a telescope to see the four planets, as Neptune is not visible to the naked eye.
Even with a telescope, Geock says capturing Neptune in the night sky requires some skill. He also recommends using binoculars, because it will make seeing the other three planets easier, but warns skygazers to be careful not to look directly at the sun while using them.
The usual stargazing rules apply: You’ll have better luck away from light pollution, so leave the city and suburbs for the best view.
The chance of seeing four planets in the sky at the same time, very close to each other, is not very common. Astronomers don’t tend to refer to these events as planetary parades — they call them “planetary alignments” — but they rarely pass up the opportunity to see planets in unique configurations like these, Geoke says.
“I always try to at least take a look when this kind of planetary alignment happens,” Geok said. “It’s exciting for me.”