If you watch the TV news at all you’ll know that there was a lot of fuss made on all channels last week about the “grand alignment of planets” visible in the morning sky at the moment. Lots of very impressive-looking computer graphics were shown in the reports, giving the impression that the pre-dawn eastern sky is ablaze with planets as bright as lanterns, all clustered closely together in a celestial spectacle to leave you gasping with wonder…
I wish!
Unfortunately the reality is rather different. Yes, there are five planets “on view” in the sky before dawn, but they certainly aren’t as eye-catching as the TV people suggested! Well, not all of them; two – Venus and Jupiter – are strikingly bright. However, two of the others – Mars and Saturn – look just like stars, and Mercury is so faint, and still so low as dawn approaches, that finding it before sunrise is a real challenge.
But don’t let that reality check put you off! It’s still a fascinating and rare sight, so if you want to give it a go, you can find all the info toy need – including charts and observing tips – on our Secretary’s blog, here…