Image copyright SPL
Astronomers around the world are delighted.
And since this week, and until 20 February, the inhabitants of planet Earth we see a show that rarely happens. five planets aligned in the sky
From our perspective, the orbits of Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Mercury will be placed forming an elliptical path
And most interesting is that anyone can see them :.. does not require sophisticated telescopes or special devices to find and identify
Just have a sky so clear and sufficiently dark.
where to stand and where to look
The first thing that know it is that planets can be seen from any point on Earth.
If you are in the north -in countries like Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, USA and Canada-you should look south.
You see in order from left to right Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter.
Are you in the southern hemisphere, will look . north
You will see the planets from left to right in reverse order. Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus and Mercury
The best time
But this quintet is not everything faces the same time.
appears at different times of the night. It is therefore recommended that time to see them together is between 05:30 and 06:30 am , before dawn.
Jupiter will be around 9:20 a.m.; 1:10 a.m. to Mars; Saturn at 04:00 am; Venus around 05:00 am.
Mercury, which is the hardest to find, will close at 06:17 am.
Although this month the five planets will change their positions and distances between them, will be in the same order.
How to identify
Although it may be that the difference is subtle , peering intensity of its brightness and color, it will also be possible to identify them.
Venus is the brightest of all. Jupiter next in brightness . Both are still visible when the sun begins to rise and the sky is turning blue.
Mars will look reddish and yellowish Saturn. Both shine with similar intensity.
Finding Mercury will be the biggest challenge because it is smaller and you can hide more easily.
Use binoculars can be helpful to see it. A telescope is not necessary but never enough when you’re fond of planetary world.
And the astronomer Jason Kendall, associate professor at William Paterson University in New Jersey, USA, published in YouTube channel a practical exercise to see if what you’re seeing is a planet or a star.
“Close one eye. Extend your arm and put his thumb up. Shortly by little, pass it from side to side on the planet or star you see in the sky. If the light is attenuated when the thumb passes over it, is a planet. If instead blinks quickly, is a Star “suggests Kendall.
The trick works best with Jupiter and Venus, he says, because they are brighter.
However what must be clear when “go hunting” is that these planets are the brightest stars after the sun and moon.
Useful Applications
Technology is helpful when trying to understand what is on our heads.
There are multiple applications on the market , some of them free, that can be used to locate the five planets.
In addition, most offer extra information, such as the time that will be visible each day from the place where you are.
Some of the best known are Star Walk, Stellarium, SkyView and Planets.
In all of them you can see the map of the constellations pointing in any direction with a smartphone or tablet .
The application of the NASA is also a good source of information and contains data on events like this.
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