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| Venus, Jupiter and Mars line up for skyline spectacle | Venus, Jupiter and Mars line up for skyline spectacle |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Venus, Jupiter and Mars can be seen from the Earth's skyline this week in a rare grouping of the three planets. | Venus, Jupiter and Mars can be seen from the Earth's skyline this week in a rare grouping of the three planets. |
| The planetary conjunction - in which planets appear closer because of their positions in relation to the Sun - has been visible for days and will continue until at least the end of the week. | The planetary conjunction - in which planets appear closer because of their positions in relation to the Sun - has been visible for days and will continue until at least the end of the week. |
| The planets are best seen before sunrise and are expected to appear closest together on Thursday. | The planets are best seen before sunrise and are expected to appear closest together on Thursday. |
| The next time the planets will come together will be in January 2021. | The next time the planets will come together will be in January 2021. |
| But how do would-be astronomers see the spectacle before it is gone? | But how do would-be astronomers see the spectacle before it is gone? |
| How do I see the planets? | How do I see the planets? |
| The planets can be seen without equipment towards the east. The best time to see them is just before sunrise because at this time they are high in the skyline but it is dark enough to see them. Binoculars and telescopes can be used to see the planets in more detail. | |
| Which planet is which? | Which planet is which? |
| The easiest planet to see, and the one that appears largest, is Venus, which is about 12 times brighter than Jupiter, which appears second largest. | The easiest planet to see, and the one that appears largest, is Venus, which is about 12 times brighter than Jupiter, which appears second largest. |
| Mars is the sky's faintest planet and is some 250 times less bright than Venus. To see Mars it may be necessary to get up an hour before sunrise. | Mars is the sky's faintest planet and is some 250 times less bright than Venus. To see Mars it may be necessary to get up an hour before sunrise. |
| Where can I see them? | Where can I see them? |
| Wherever there are clear skies. | Wherever there are clear skies. |
| Where you are in the world does not affect how the planets appear. | Where you are in the world does not affect how the planets appear. |
| Within the UK, said BBC weather presenter Alex Deakin, northern Scotland and the north-west and south-west of England would have the clearest weather at the beginning of the week, while Wales and south-west England would be best later in the week. | Within the UK, said BBC weather presenter Alex Deakin, northern Scotland and the north-west and south-west of England would have the clearest weather at the beginning of the week, while Wales and south-west England would be best later in the week. |
| He added that all parts of the UK should have at least one clear morning this week. | He added that all parts of the UK should have at least one clear morning this week. |
| How long will they be here? | How long will they be here? |
| The planets have been visible together from 23-24 October and will remain visible until the end of the week, according to Affelia Wibisono, astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. The planets are expected to appear closest together on Thursday or Friday. | The planets have been visible together from 23-24 October and will remain visible until the end of the week, according to Affelia Wibisono, astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. The planets are expected to appear closest together on Thursday or Friday. |
| It will still be possible to see Mars and Venus until next month but not Jupiter. | It will still be possible to see Mars and Venus until next month but not Jupiter. |
| Is a grouping of this kind unusual? | Is a grouping of this kind unusual? |
| Two planets come together in this way throughout the year but it is much rarer to have three group together. | Two planets come together in this way throughout the year but it is much rarer to have three group together. |
| The fact the planets can be seen without binoculars or a telescope is one of the things that makes this grouping special, Ms Wibisono said. In contrast it would not be possible to see a grouping of Uranus, Neptune and Saturn without equipment. | The fact the planets can be seen without binoculars or a telescope is one of the things that makes this grouping special, Ms Wibisono said. In contrast it would not be possible to see a grouping of Uranus, Neptune and Saturn without equipment. |
| Why are the planets grouping together? | Why are the planets grouping together? |
| The grouping is random, Dr Sam Lindsay, assistant editor at the Royal Astronomical Society's astrophysics journal, said. | The grouping is random, Dr Sam Lindsay, assistant editor at the Royal Astronomical Society's astrophysics journal, said. |
| The planets are carrying out their own orbits of the sun, which take different amounts of time to carry out, and have reached a point where they appear aligned in the Earth's skyline. | The planets are carrying out their own orbits of the sun, which take different amounts of time to carry out, and have reached a point where they appear aligned in the Earth's skyline. |
| Are the planets closer to each other? | Are the planets closer to each other? |
| No. In fact the planets remain millions of miles apart and the appearance of them looking close is because of their position in relation to the sun, which acts as a torch lighting them up, and because it is not possible for us to judge depth in space from Earth. | No. In fact the planets remain millions of miles apart and the appearance of them looking close is because of their position in relation to the sun, which acts as a torch lighting them up, and because it is not possible for us to judge depth in space from Earth. |
| Have you been planet spotting? We would like to see your pictures of Venus, Mars and Jupiter. You can share them with us in the following ways: | Have you been planet spotting? We would like to see your pictures of Venus, Mars and Jupiter. You can share them with us in the following ways: |
| Or comment here: | Or comment here: |