There’s a 5-planet parade in the sky over NJ

Tamara Walker, Asbury Park Press
·1 min read

Get your telescopes ready, there is a party among the stars.

New Jersey residents have a chance to see five planets — Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and Mars — align in a rare event in the sky on March 28.

Planetary alignments, which occur when several planets are positioned together on one side of the Sun, occur a few times a year, according to Star Walk, an astronomy and space guide app.

NASA astronomer Bill Cooke told CBS news that viewers can see them with a clear line of sight of the western horizon at sunset. Jupiter, Venus and Mars will be visible with the naked eye. Mercury and Uranus will require equipment like binoculars, Cooke told CBS news.

The Moon, Jupiter and Venus above Asbury Park
The Moon, Jupiter and Venus above Asbury Park

The National Weather Service is calling for partly cloudy skies tonight but don’t fret if you miss it. According to StarWalk, still have a chance to see this Planetary parade, several planets will also be visible tomorrow, March 30.

There are other smaller planetary alignments scheduled this year according to StarWalk.

  • April 11:  A small, evening alignment of 4 planets Mars, Venus, Uranus and Mercury

  • April 24:  A small, evening alignment of 4 planets Mars, Venus, Uranus and Mercury

  • May 29: A small, morning alignment of 4 planets Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury and Uranus

  • June 17: A large, morning alignment of 5 planets Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Mercury and Uranus

  • July 26: A mini, evening alignment of 3 planets Mars, Venus and Mercury

  • Aug. 24: At sunset, a mini alignment of setting of 3 planets Mercury and Mars and rising Saturn and a small alignment 4 planets Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune, and Saturn

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: 5-planet alignment: How to watch, best time in NJ this week