Venus was clearly visible from the Republic, sidling up to the new crescent moon and seeming to almost touch it on March 24. - ST
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Five planets – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus – will align and light up the sky on Tuesday (March 28).
According to multiple media reports, the planets will be mostly visible to the naked eye in the night sky on March 27 and March 28, depending on where on Earth you are located.
However, last Friday, Venus was clearly visible from the Republic, sidling up to the new crescent moon and seemingly almost touching it.
While the planets will not appear in a straight line, they are expected to be visible in a part of the sky next to the waxing crescent moon.
An unobstructed, westward-facing shoreline with a good view of the horizon and clear skies offers the best chance of spotting the alignment, according to Space.com.
“Jupiter and Mercury will be very low on the horizon after sunset here, said Astronomical Society of Singapore president Soh Kim Mun. “The glow (of the sunset) would likely make spotting these two planets challenging.
“Also, Uranus can be spotted with a pair of binoculars, but not the naked eye.”
Several reports also suggest that there is only a 20 to 25-minute window to spot all the planets together, just after sunset.
Among the people who will be stargazing is former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who tweeted on Monday: “I’m always on the lookout for some great star-gazing opportunities... and on Tuesday might be a night to grab the binoculars and catch a glimpse of a pretty rare five-planet alignment of Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars. Here’s hoping the skies will remain clear!”
The planetary alignment was already spotted over Britain, with the BBC reporting that the northern parts of Scotland and its islands had some of the best views due to clear skies.
Another five-planet alignment – of Mercury, Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune and Saturn – will be seen on June 17.
In June 2022, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn lined up in the same order as their positions from the sun for the first time since December 2004. This order will not be seen again until 2040.
