Brilio.net/en - Finally, we have something to make us leap out of bed before sunrise. For the first time in over 10 years, people on Earth will be able to see five bright planets all together in the dawning sky.
About an hour before sunrise, the long observed planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, will emerge in a line, stretching from the perch side in the north to the lower one in the east.
According to IFL Science, Wednesday (20/1), the planets are visible from Australia in the dawn, starting from Wednesday, January 20 and can be seen through until end of February.
Actually Mars, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn have been in our morning sky since the beginning of this year. You can see Jupiter appears as a brilliant star in the north. Next in line is Mars gleaming in red, followed by pale Saturn, and lastly the glistening white Venus shines above the eastern horizon. The appearance of the regular bluish Mercury completes the set.
On the other hand, Mercury has just transitioned from an evening object to a morning star. At first, it will appear quite low on the eastern horizon, while all other planets also seem faint and hard to see. But then Mercury will rise higher each morning, and by early February it will sit below the big and bright Venus.
The line formed by those five planets closely follows the ecliptic, the apparent path in the sky, which puts the sun against stars.
Moon is traveling along, while Scorpions lurking at the background.
From January 28 through to February 7, the waning moon will travel through the lineup of planets, passing each one in turn; a good addition in stargazers motivation to wake up earlier.
The ecliptic, a path in the sky followed by the line formed by the five planets, is bordered by some zodiac constellations, and the most apparent is the Scorpius. If youre awake just before the first rays of sun, you may spot the curved outline of a scorpion between Mars and Saturn.
The most interesting star is the gigantic red star Antares, which is sitting just above Saturn, marking the heart of the scorpion. Antares reddish color is a perfect rival for Mars.
Luckily, weve got more inside the box. This rare space event will come again in August, when the five planets will be reunited once again but this time in the evening sky. So, stay tuned for more star gazing in 2016!