A spectacular outer space phenomena known as the planetary parade is expected to happen on Friday night. Shortly after dusk, stargazers may be able to see the alignment of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, USA Today reported. The key, however, is to bring the proper binoculars or telescope.
“A planetary parade is a moment when multiple planets are visible in the sky at the same time,” said Dr Greg Brown, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said in an interview with PA Media, according to The Guardian. “How impressive a parade it is will depend on how many planets are in it and how visible they are.”
Although the alignment of the planets is not a once-in-a-lifetime time event, it’s still fairly rare. The seven planets can be seen in a line when the occurrence happens. According to EarthSky, this event happens because the planets orbit the sun on the same line across the ecliptic, which is a plane shaped like a disc.
Stargazers who hope to see the planets are advised to find a pollution-free area and a place without obstructions like trees and buildings. NASA states that its best to find an area that’s at least 10 degrees above the horizon.
Another similar occurrence is expected to happen in August. Scientists say people may be able to see four planets lined up at that time.
“Planetary alignments occur because the planets in our solar system orbit the Sun within roughly the same plane, known as the ecliptic plane,” Dr Shyam Balaji, a King’s College London researcher in astroparticle physics and cosmology, said. “As they orbit at different speeds and distances from the Sun, there are moments when they appear to line up from Earth’s perspective.”
