Multiple planets to be visible in rare astronomical event
-
Share on Facebook
-
Share on Bluesky
-
Share on X
- Copy Link
PRINCE GEORGE – The Prince George Astronomical Society says a rare planetary alignment will take place on January 24 and 25. Known as a “Great Planetary Alignment,” the Society’s President Malhar Kendurkar says many planets will be visible to the naked eye.
“Five planets will be visible to the naked eye, which is Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. Uranus and Neptune, you need a small pair of binoculars to see them because they are quite far away in our solar system and relatively faint there,” Kendurkar said.
The next time this alignment will happen is September 8, 2040, so Kendurkar says this is a fantastic opportunity to take part in quite the interstellar show. The forecast is calling for a relatively clear night on the 24, and the 25 should see a cloudless night. To celebrate, Kendurkar says the Prince George Observatory will be open for viewings starting at 7:00 p.m. on the 24, but even if you can’t make it to the observatory you should still be able to see the planets in the city. Somewhere without light pollution would be ideal, and Kendurkar gave a detailed description of where you should look to locate the planets.
“You have to look in the southeast and southwest direction. In the southwest direction you will see Venus and Saturn, Venus will be really bright, it’s the brightest object in our night sky right now, which is -4.2 magnitude, meaning it’s really bright. Then just below Venus at 5:00 you will see Saturn, and then you go look to southeast you will see Jupiter, which will be also really bright. And then 90 degrees above the horizon you will see Mars, which will be quite red, an eerie red color,” he explained.
