'If you manage to see Uranus, that's a treat': 5 planets aligning in the sky this week
A parade of planets will be visible between the horizon and the moon just after sunset Tuesday night and for the next few days, offering sky-gazers a chance to explore the solar system with just a pair of binoculars.
Planetary alignments aren't especially rare, but this week's is notable because of how all five bodies will be visible in the same relatively small section of sky.
Jeremy Heyl, a professor of physics and astronomy at UBC, told CTV News there were five planets visible at once back in January, as well, but they were spread across the sky.
This week, the alignment is happening right after sunset, with Jupiter and Mercury visible low on the horizon, close to where the sun was last seen. Venus, Uranus and Mars will all also be visible in a line between the horizon and the crescent moon, Heyl said.
"The planets all orbit around the sun in the same plane that the Earth is orbiting around the sun, so they actually form a line across the sky when you can see lots of them," he said.
"The tricky thing (this week) is, Jupiter and Mercury – and Mercury is very hard to see, usually, because it's so close to the sun – they'll just be peeking above the horizon. So if you wait too late or if you're in a place where you can't see out towards the west, you know, they will have set."
Tracing the line of planets back toward the moon, stargazers will see "an absolutely dazzling object," Heyl said.
"That's Venus," he said. "You will not mistake Venus."
Very close to Venus – and likely too faint to see with the naked eye from an area with a lot of light pollution like Metro Vancouver – will be Uranus.
People with binoculars should have an easier time seeing the solar system's seventh planet, which Heyl said looks quite blue.
"If you manage to see Uranus, that's a treat," he said.
Finally, closer to the moon, Mars will be visible and looking "quite red," according to Heyl.
The key to distinguishing planets from stars, the UBC professor said, is that stars twinkle. Some planets, like Venus and Mars, show up very bright in the night sky, but they give off a consistent light, rather than fluctuating in brightness or colour the way stars do.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Spencer Harwood
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Manitoba mom praises quick-thinking fire department for freeing daughter stuck in playground equipment
A Manitoba mother is praising firefighters for their quick work in helping her daughter who got stuck at a playground in Lorette, Man.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.