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| Five planets to line up in rare planetary conjunction | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A conjunction of Jupiter, Venus and the Moon in 2019 | A conjunction of Jupiter, Venus and the Moon in 2019 |
| Five major planets in our solar system will shine brightly in a row during a rare planetary conjunction from Friday. | Five major planets in our solar system will shine brightly in a row during a rare planetary conjunction from Friday. |
| If the sky is clear, the naked eye alone will be enough to see Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn glowing before dawn. | If the sky is clear, the naked eye alone will be enough to see Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn glowing before dawn. |
| It's a special opportunity to see Mercury, which is usually obscured from view by the Sun's bright light. | It's a special opportunity to see Mercury, which is usually obscured from view by the Sun's bright light. |
| The conjunction is best seen on Friday but will remain visible until Monday from most parts of the world. | The conjunction is best seen on Friday but will remain visible until Monday from most parts of the world. |
| The last time this conjunction happened was 2004 and it won't be seen again until 2040. | The last time this conjunction happened was 2004 and it won't be seen again until 2040. |
| The planets will appear "like a string of pearls spread out from close to the horizon", explains space scientist and chief stargazer at the Society for Popular Astronomy Prof Lucie Green. | The planets will appear "like a string of pearls spread out from close to the horizon", explains space scientist and chief stargazer at the Society for Popular Astronomy Prof Lucie Green. |
| It is also a special event because the planets will appear in the order they are positioned from the sun. | It is also a special event because the planets will appear in the order they are positioned from the sun. |
| That isn't always the case for planetary conjunctions because of our perspective from Earth looking into the solar system, Prof Green says. | That isn't always the case for planetary conjunctions because of our perspective from Earth looking into the solar system, Prof Green says. |
| On Friday a crescent Moon will also join the line-up, appearing between Venus and Mars. | On Friday a crescent Moon will also join the line-up, appearing between Venus and Mars. |
| The northern hemisphere, including the UK, will get the best views between 45 and 90 minutes before sunrise. Look eastwards and very close to the horizon, ideally from a high spot like a hill. Large buildings or trees will obscure the view. You'll need to rise early, because as soon as the sun comes up it will wash out the sky, obscuring the planets. | The northern hemisphere, including the UK, will get the best views between 45 and 90 minutes before sunrise. Look eastwards and very close to the horizon, ideally from a high spot like a hill. Large buildings or trees will obscure the view. You'll need to rise early, because as soon as the sun comes up it will wash out the sky, obscuring the planets. |
| But they can be seen with the naked eye - Prof Green advises sky-gazers not to use equipment like binoculars or telescopes because of the risk of looking directly into the Sun. | But they can be seen with the naked eye - Prof Green advises sky-gazers not to use equipment like binoculars or telescopes because of the risk of looking directly into the Sun. |
| Start by looking for the planet furthest away, which is Saturn. Then count back through the planets until you find Venus, which is usually very bright. | Start by looking for the planet furthest away, which is Saturn. Then count back through the planets until you find Venus, which is usually very bright. |
| The final planet in the line-up should then be Mercury. Prof Green says it took her many years to see it because it's a hard planet to spot. "It is very satisfying if you can see this faint twinkling planet," she says. | The final planet in the line-up should then be Mercury. Prof Green says it took her many years to see it because it's a hard planet to spot. "It is very satisfying if you can see this faint twinkling planet," she says. |
| Observers in the tropics and the southern hemisphere should get better views because the planets will rise higher in the pre-dawn sky, but an early start will still be needed. | Observers in the tropics and the southern hemisphere should get better views because the planets will rise higher in the pre-dawn sky, but an early start will still be needed. |