Photo via Accuweather
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn can be seen simultaneously before dawn January 20 and remain visible before dawn through February 20, 2016. Only distant Uranus, Neptune and Pluto won’t be in on the show. (While Neptune and Pluto can only be seen with a telescope, Uranus can occasionally be spotted with a sharp eye in a dark sky).
The last time that all five visible planets appeared in the same sky together was January 15, 2005. Those who miss the planetary alignment in the next few weeks will have another opportunity from Aug. 13 to 19, when the cosmic crew gives an encore performance.
While the full planetary alignment will only show up just before dawn, the event will get started long before that. Jupiter will rise first in the evening; Mars makes its debut at midnight; and then Saturn, Venus, and Mercury appear respectively, according to EarthSky.org.
