Space activity has really picked up this month, with two meteor showers and the historic Artemis II mission, which finally sent humans back to the moon and splashed down on Earth on Friday. Stargazers looking for more to do during the first full month of spring have a few more things coming, including a planet parade where four planets are set to be in the sky at the same time.
The small parade starts around Thursday, April 16, and lasts until nearly the end of the month. It features Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Neptune. All four planets are relatively close to one another on the eastern horizon just before sunrise each day. Those planning to view the parade will need to stay up almost all night or wake up very early to see it.
The best time to view it depends on where you are. If you’re at a higher elevation, the best time is just before 6 a.m. local time. People at sea level will have to wait for the planets to come up above the horizon just after 6 a.m. local time, and they’ll be swiftly chased by the sun, giving viewers a narrow window to view all four planets before sunrise.
Since sunrise is dependent on location, you may have as long as 40 minutes or as little as 20 to see all four planets. You’ll want to check the sunrise times in your area to see if you have enough time to spot all four planets before the sun comes up.
The proximity to the sun and the narrow window make April’s planet parade one of the more difficult ones to see, according to Geza Gyuk, senior director of astronomy at Chicago’s Adler Planetarium.
«Mercury is, as always, close to the sun and hard to see,» Gyuk told me. «Since Mars and Saturn will be close to Mercury, they will also be hard to see without a very low eastern horizon.»
Saturday, April 18, until Friday, April 24, are the best days to try. Before those dates, Saturn is a bit close to the sun and rises late over the horizon, and after them, Mercury starts to drift precariously close to the sun.
Get out (or borrow) a telescope
Skygazers need a telescope at a minimum to see all four planets, since Neptune is not visible to the naked eye.
Even using a telescope, Gyuk says it takes some skill to pick out Neptune in the night sky. He also recommends taking a pair of binoculars, since it’ll make the other three planets easier to see, but warns skygazers to be careful not to look directly at the sun while using them.
The usual stargazing rules apply: You’ll have better luck away from light pollution, so leave the city and suburbs to get the best view.
The chance to see four planets in the sky at the same time, and so close together, isn’t terribly common. Gyuk says that astronomers tend not to refer to these events as planet parades — instead calling them «planetary alignments» — but also rarely pass up the opportunity to view planets in unique configurations like this.
«I always try to catch a glimpse at least whenever this sort of planetary alignment occurs,» Gyuk said. «It is a thrill to me.»
