Night sky lovers can typically spot a smattering of a few planets, but in late March, a stunning visual takes shape when five planets line up beneath the moon in a display sometimes called a planetary parade or alignment.
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Alignments such as this one appear every few years or so, Hummels said, and much of it will be visible to the naked eye, even in urban areas with significant light pollution. And it can be spotted across the Northern and Southern hemispheres. The easiest planet to spot will be Venus, often referred to as the"evening star," because it's the brightest object in the night sky apart from the moon. Uranus will appear close to Venus, though it may be difficult to pick out the distant planet without binoculars or a telescope unless you're viewing from a prime location with no light pollution.
Topping off the planetary parade will be Mars, sitting in a straight line up from Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus and the moon. It's easy to pick out because of its signature orange tint, Hummels added.The entire alignment will cover just about 70 degrees of the sky. Hummels said one method for measuring degrees in the sky is to use your thumb or closed fist, extended away from your body. A fist at arm's length will cover about 10 degrees, while a thumb covers about 1 degree.
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