Here’s how to see Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus and Mars
By Lauren Haughey and Sam Tonkin For Mailonline
Stargazers will have the chance to spot a rare planetary parade tomorrow night as five worlds line up in the night sky.
Mars , Venus, Jupiter, Mercury and Uranus should all be visible shortly after sunset tomorrow
Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury and Uranus should all be visible shortly after sunset.
From the UK, Venus and Jupiter are expected to be the most obvious to see, while spotting faint Mercury, Uranus and Mars may be a bit more challenging.
Experts say escaping city life will provide the best opportunity for clearer views because urban areas are more affected by light pollution.
Professor Beth Biller, of the University of Edinburgh, told MailOnline: ‘Exact location in the UK is probably not critical. What is more important is to be out of the city and to be somewhere where you have a good view of the horizon.’
A planetary parade takes place when a number of worlds are located in the same constellation.
While it is not unusual to see two or three planets in the sky, an alignment of five is less common.
It happened last year, and in both 2020 and 2016 prior to that.
Professor Biller added: ‘Venus and Jupiter are both very bright and easy to pick out and you may have already seen them close together over the past few weeks.
‘Mars is a bit fainter, but still easily observed with the naked eye. Mercury starts getting tricky – you need to be at a dark site with a clear view of the horizon if you want to see Mercury.’