 Enjoy the sunset then view five planets in a row
The eight planets and dwarf planet Pluto. Image courtesy of NASA.
This week, if there are clear evening skies, watch the sunset then look for Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and Mars in the western sky. They will all be along the elliptical - the same path as the sun as it rises in the east and sets in the west. Catch Mercury and Jupiter (the second brightest planet) right after sunset and close to the horizon. View time for these two will last about 30 minutes. The others will appear higher in the sky along the elliptical as the sky darkens. Venus is the brightest and easiest to spot; Uranus is the least bright so view it with binoculars. Mars, the red planet - look for the red glow, will be last in the line and near the Moon.
Also look for:
- Use this Evening Sky Map for March by skymaps.com to orient yourself to the night sky and see what else you can view!
- Ceres - a dwarf planet named after the goddess of agriculture. View with binoculars; in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Explore Ceres with NASA's online interactive.
- Saturn and Neptune in the morning sky before sunrise, then enjoy the dawning of a new day!
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