by Edward Herrick-Gleason
Every so often, the best of the night sky is visible in the morning. Venture out this weekend and you’ll see four planets: Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter!
Rising first around 3:20 a.m. is Saturn, followed about half an hour later by Mars. Venus ascends above the eastern horizon by 4:20 a.m. Jupiter then follows just after 4:30 a.m.
The best time to observe the eastern sky will be between 4:45 – 5:15 a.m. when all the planets will be readily visible above the horizon. Once civil twilight begins at 5:15 a.m. the dimmer planets (Mars and Saturn) will quickly fade from sight.
At magnitude -4.0, Venus will be the brightest of all the planets, followed by Jupiter (magnitude -1.9) then Saturn and Mars, both of which shine at magnitude 0.9. Even though these two superior planets appear equally bright, Mars exudes a distinct reddish glow.
Starting on April 25th, the waning crescent moon will join the gathering: five solar system worlds on full display. So, even if you can’t leave the enveloping comfort of a blanket-laden bed so beautiful in both form and function it seems as though it was crafted out of quintessence itself this weekend, you’ll have an opportunity to see the planets and moon early next week.
As such alignments are not common events, we strongly encourage you to awaken before sunrise to admire this procession of planets parading above the eastern horizon.
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