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 You may have seen the rather breathless statements about the up coming planetary lineup (or planet parade) often illustrated with telescope images of the planets all rather close together and claiming 6-7 planets will be present in the evening sky. 

While this is (mostly) true, you won't see anything like the illustrations. The hype distracts from what is a beautiful phenomenon.The planets, only 4 of which are bright dots, are strung out from west to east along the ecliptic like beads on a wire, Jupiter and Mars are bright and in some beautiful night sky territory. 

I have some charts and spotting tips below to help you enjoy this without the hype.

Evening sky on Saturday, January 18 as seen from Adelaide at 21:34 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time, click to embiggen)	Evening sky on Saturday, January 25 as seen from Adelaide at 21:30 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset, Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time, click to embiggen)	Evening sky on Friday, February 28 as seen from Adelaide at 20:20 ACDST (30 minutes after sunset, Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at roughly the equivalent local time, click to embiggen)
Orientation of the inner planets on Saturday, January 18 as seen from above the plane of the solar system	Orientation of the inner planets on Saturday, January 25 as seen from above the plane of the solar system	Orientation of the inner planets on Friday, February 28 as seen from above the plane of the solar system
Orientation of the outer planets on Saturday, January 18 as seen from above the plane of the solar system	Orientation of the outer planets on Saturday, January 25 as seen from above the plane of the solar system	Orientation of the outer planets on Friday, February 28 as seen from above the plane of the solar system

Basically, you can only see 4 of the 6-7 with your unaided eye, and rather than all being scrunched up close together, they are spread out over most of the sky from west to north-east.

From the 18th of January to mid February,  face west, looking 60 minutes after sunset. Venus is obvious above the western horizon as the brightest object in the sky. Much dimmer Saturn is a spark just above obvious Venus. Turning to the north the next brightest object is golden Jupiter, the second brightest object in the sky after Venus, just below bright red star Aldebaran and the "V" of the Hyades, not far from the delightful Pleiades cluster. Then looking towards the north east, bright red Mars, just past opposition and the third brightest object in the sky, just edging out the bright star Sirius, is lined up with the pair of stars Castor and Pollux, in Gemini. Neptune is telescope visible only and will be difficult to see low on the horizon (see charts above). 

The black and white chart suitable for printing shows the location of Uranus, the circle is the approximate field of view of 10x50 binoculars.

The best times to look are between 60 minutes (nautical twilight) and 90 minutes (astronomical twilight, when the sky is fully dark) after sunset, and it helps if you have a clear and level western horizon. Although Venus and Saturn set about 30 minutes or so after astronomical twilight, ~ 2 hours after sunset, trees and houses tend to get in the way. 

You should be able to see this lineup from now until around 15 February, when Saturn is too low in the twilight to see (although you should be able to see it with binoculars). 

After January the 18th, Saturn draws away from Saturn as the pair lower in the evening twilight. On February the first the crescent Moon is between Saturn and the obvious bright Venus low above the western horizon 60 minutes after sunset. The Moon then goes on to visit all the bright planets in turn over the next few days, this will look very nice . Venus is at its greatest brilliance on the 15th of February. 

Although Jupiter and Mars move somewhat over this time they will be roughly where they are on the 18th of January, although Mars is fading rapidly.

Mercury Joins the line up around February the 15th, making 7 planets present, but is hard to see very low in the twilight. By Feb 28 Mercury is higher, but it, Saturn and Neptune are too deep in the twilight to see, and Venus is marginal. Binoculars will be required to see Mercury, and possibly Venus, which is now a thin crescent. 

So ignore the hype and head out in the early evening to enjoy the sight as well the constellation of Orion and bright Sirius  in Canis Major are there to look at too.

Labels: alignment, binocular, Jupiter, Mars, public outreach, Saturn, unaided eye, Venus

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 1:12 pm 0 comments

The Total Lunar Eclipse of September 8, 2025 as seen at 03:30 AEST, the inset is the approximate binocular view at this time. Similar view will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (detailed tables will be available before hand). Click to embiggen.

The table below shows significant astronomical events that can be seen with the unaided eye or minimal equipment in 2025 in Australia (and to some degree elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere, ocultations and eclipses are very region specific). 

This year we get a good Total Lunar eclipse visible Australia wide. We get multiple occultations of the bright star Antares. There are good oppositions of Mars and Saturn. Comet C/20024 G3 ATLAS may be visible low in the evening twilight at the end of January, if it survives its passage around the Sun.

As well we have some fantastic parings and lineups and good meteor showers (although the moon is a pest).

Close pairings of the Moon and bright planets are given special attention as not only is the Moon a ready guide to locating the planets if you are not familiar with them, these massings are rather beautiful. 

Special events are bolded. T indicates a telescope only event. As well as apogee and perigee moons I have also included times when the Lunar X is visible at First Quarter.

Labels: Asteroid, Conjunction, eclipse, Jupiter, Mars, Moon, Opposition, Saturn, unaided eye, Venus, Yearly Sky Events

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 2:15 pm 0 comments

Morning sky on Monday, June 3  as seen from Adelaide at 06:18 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The crescent Moon, Saturn, Mars and Mercury make an attractive lineup. The Moon is close to Mars. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time.	Morning sky on Monday, June 3  as seen from Adelaide at 06:18 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The planets positions are labeled, including the ones not visible to the unaided eye.
Morning sky on Monday, June 3  as seen from Adelaide at 06:48 ACST, (30 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The crescent Moon, Saturn, Mars and Mercury make an attractive lineup. Jupiter and mercury are deep in the twilight.	Morning sky on Monday, June 3  as seen from Adelaide at 06:48 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The planets positions are labeled, including the ones not visible to the unaided eye.
Morning sky on Wednesday, June 5  as seen from Adelaide at 06:18 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The crescent Moon, is close to Jupiter and Mercury deep in the twilight.	Morning sky on Wednesday, June 5  as seen from Adelaide at 06:18 ACST, (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The planets positions are labeled, including the ones not visible to the unaided eye.
Morning sky on Wednesday, June 5  as seen from Adelaide at 06:48 ACST, (30 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The crescent Moon, is close to Jupiter and Mercurydeep in the twilight.	Morning sky on Wednesday, June 5  as seen from Adelaide at 06:48 ACST, (30 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen). The planets positions are labeled, including the ones not visible to the unaided eye.

You may have see some rather breathless statements on the internet about the "planetary Parade" coming up on 3 June.  With statements such as "stunning alignment" and "solar spectacle", this vastly overplays what you will see. Yes, there will be 6 planets in a line in the morning skies from 3-5 June. But Uranus and Neptune are not visible to the unaided eye.  On the 3rd Mercury will be difficult to see as it is low in the twilight and Jupiter is too deep in the twilight to be readily seen. You will need a clear, unobstructed horizon to see Jupiter and Mercury as they are very low in the twilight.

The crescent Moon is near Mercury an Jupiter deep in the twilight. You may need binoculars to see Jupiter and Mercury (Binoculars will make for much better viewing even if you can see them).  By the time Jupiter and Mercury  have risen sufficiently to see Saturn and mars will be very difficult to see.

Nonetheless the early morning effort is worthwhile.

Labels: Jupiter, lineup, Mars, Mecury, Moon, Saturn

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 12:40 am 0 comments

Occultation of Saturn on 27 June 2024 at 22:50 AEST, as seen from Brisbane, as Saturn is just being covered by the Moon. The inset is the approximate binocular view at this time. Most of Australia will enjoy similar views at the roughly equivalent local times (detailed tables will be available before hand). Click to embiggen.

The table below shows significant astronomical events that can be seen with the unaided eye or minimal equipment in 2024 in Australia (and to some degree elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere, ocultations and eclipses are very region specific). 

This year we get a Penumbral Lunar eclipse best visible from eastern Australia. We get multiple occultations of Saturn (some daylight only). A couple of occultations of the Pleiades, and an occultation of the bright star Antares (only visible western and central Australia). There are good oppositions of Jupiter and Saturn. Mars is at opposition in January 2025 but we get a good run up to it. We also get a comet in September/October, C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, which may be a fizzer but just might be spectacular.

As well we have some fantastic parings and lineups and good meteor showers.

Close pairings of the Moon and bright planets are given special attention as not only is the Moon a ready guide to locating the planets if you are not familiar with them, these massings are rather beautiful. 

Special events are bolded.

Labels: Asteroid, Conjunction, eclipse, Jupiter, Mars, Moon, Opposition, Saturn, unaided eye, Venus, Yearly Sky Events

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 7:31 pm 1 comments

Occultation of the Pleiades on 31 October 2023 at 01:24 ACDST, as seen from Adelaide shortly before it covers Alcyone, eta Tauri, the brightest star in Pleiades cluster (the inset show the binocular view of this). Most of Australia will enjoy similar views at the roughly equivalent local times (adjust for daylight savings). Click to embiggen.

The table below shows significant astronomical events that can be seen with the unaided eye or minimal equipment in 2023 in Australia (and to some degree elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere, ocultations and eclipses are very region specific). 

This year we get a Partial Lunar eclipse best visible from western Australia. A Total Solar eclipse is visible from the tip of Western Australia and everywhere else sees a partial eclipse (best from WA and central north). There are good oppositions of Jupiter and Saturn. We also get an occultation of the Pleiades and a binocular comet.

As well we have some fantastic parings and lineups and good meteor showers.

Close pairings of the Moon and bright planets are given special attention as not only is the Moon a ready guide to locating the planets if you are not familiar with them, these massings are rather beautiful. 

Special events are bolded.

Labels: Asteroid, Conjunction, eclipse, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Moon, Opposition, Saturn, unaided eye, Venus, Yearly Sky Events

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 3:50 pm 3 comments

Morning sky on Sunday June 12 as seen from Adelaide at 5:50 am ACST (90 minutes before sunrise). Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus and Mercury form a line (Uranus, Neptune and the Asteroid Vesta are in the line too, but all need at least binoculars to see). Venus and Uranus are at their closest.The inset shows the binocular appearance of  Venus and Uranus at this time. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).	Morning sky on Sunday June 19 as seen from Adelaide at 5:52am ACST (90 minutes before sunrise). The waning Moon is near Saturn. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).	Morning sky on Wedensday June 22 as seen from Adelaide at 5:53 am ACST (90 minutes before sunrise). The waning Moon is near Jupiter. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
Morning sky on Thursday June 23 as seen from Adelaide at 5:53 am ACST (90 minutes before sunrise). The crescent Moon is near Mars.The inset shows the binocular appearance of the Moon and Mars at 3:00 am local time. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).	Morning sky on Saturday June 25 as seen from Adelaide at 5:53 am ACST (90 minutes before sunrise). The Moon and and Uranus are at their closest (occultation in WA, NT and FNQ). The inset shows the binocular appearance of the Moon and Uranus at this time. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia except the occulting states at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).	Morning sky on Sunday June 26 as seen from Adelaide at 6:24 am ACST (60 minutes before sunrise). The crescent moon forms a line with Venus, Aldebaran and Mercury, with the Pleiades cluster close by. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (60 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).

Over the next three weeks you will be able to see a rather rare sight, if you have clear morning skies. All 5 bright classical planets are lined up in the order they are from the Sun. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. In February 2016 we also had 5 bright planets in the morning skies but the lineup was Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter. We have to go back 21 December 2004 to have all 5 planets in the morning sky in solar order. 

Also, unlike the other times we had all the bright classical planets together in the morning, we also have all the other planets (Uranus, Neptune), the Dwarf planet Pluto and the Asteroid 4 Vesta. These are not is solar system order. 

To make up for this on the 12th we have a close approach of Venus and Uranus. The Moon joins the line-up from the 19th, and we have lots of nice close Moon approaches, with the Moon and Uranus being close on the 25th and occultations in Cairns (Dawn), Darwin, Alice Springs and Perth. 

On the 26th Venus and the thin crescent Moon are close, the Pleiades and Aldebaran and Mercury make this an attractive sight. On the 27th the thin crescent Moon forms  a rectangle with Mercury, Venus and Aldebaran. On the 30th Venus forms a second eye for Taurus the Bull.

Labels: 4 Vesta, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Occultation, Saturn, unaided eye, Uranus, Venus

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:16 pm 0 comments

Morning sky on Tuesday, April 26 as seen from Adelaide at 5:22 am ACST (90 minutes before sunrise). Saturn, Mars and Venus form a line with Jupiter. The waning Moon is close to Mars. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).	Morning sky on Wednesday, April 27 as seen from Adelaide at 5:23 am ACST (90 minutes before sunrise). Saturn, Mars and Venus form a line with Jupiter. The waning Moon is close to Venus. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen).
Morning sky on Thursday, April 28 as seen from Adelaide at 5:24 am ACST (90 minutes before sunrise). Saturn, Mars and Venus form a line with Jupiter. The waning Moon is close to Jupiter. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen)	Morning sky on Friday, April 29 as seen from Adelaide at 5:25 am ACST (90 minutes before sunrise). Saturn, Mars and Venus form a line with Jupiter. The crescent Moon forms a line the planets. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen)
Morning sky on Saturday, April 30 as seen from Adelaide at 5:25 am ACST (90 minutes before sunrise). Saturn, Mars and Venus form a line with Jupiter. Venus and Jupiter are very close. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen)	Morning sky on Sunday, May 1 as seen from Adelaide at 5:26 am ACST (90 minutes before sunrise). Saturn, Mars and Venus form a line with Jupiter. Venus and Jupiter are spectacularly close. The inset shows the telescopic image at this time. Similar views will be seen from the rest of Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise, click to embiggen)

The next few days will see a continuation of the planet dance that we saw the first installment of this morning for ANZAC day. You will of course have to get up early in the morning to see this spectacle.

The waning moon moves down the ladder of four bright planets as Venus and Jupiter come closer to each other. The spectacular finish is on May 1st, When Jupiter and Venus are within telescopic distance of each other.

Labels: Conjunction, Jupiter, Mars, massing, Moon, Saturn, telescope, unaided eye, Venus

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 10:58 pm 0 comments

Mars, Venus, crescent Moon,  Mercury and Saturn on 27 February 2022 at 06:04 ACDST, (90 Minutes before sunrise) as seen from Adelaide. Most of Australia will enjoy similar views 90 Minutes before sunrise. Click to embiggen.

The table below shows significant astronomical events that can be seen with the unaided eye or minimal equipment in 2022 in Australia (and to some degree elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere, ocultations and eclipses are very region specific). 

This year we get a good Total Lunar eclipse. There are good oppositions of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Mars skims past the Pleiades and Hydaes clusters.

As well we have some fantastic parings and lineups and good meteor showers.

Close pairings of the Moon and bright planets are given special attention as not only is the Moon a ready guide to locating the planets if you are not familiar with them, these massings are rather beautiful. 

Special events are bolded.

Labels: Asteroid, Conjunction, eclipse, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Moon, Opposition, Saturn, unaided eye, Venus, Yearly Sky Events

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:21 pm 1 comments

Morning sky on Monday,  May 3 showing the eastern sky as seen from Adelaide  at 4:30 am ACST. Saturn and Jupiter form a line in the morning sky with the waning Moon above. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise), click to embiggen.	Morning sky on Tuesday,  May 4 showing the eastern sky as seen from Adelaide  at 4:30 am ACST. Saturn and Jupiter form a line in the morning sky with the Last Quarter Moon being close to Saturn. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise), click to embiggen.
Morning sky on Wednesday,  May 5 showing the eastern sky as seen from Adelaide  at 4:30 am ACST. Saturn and Jupiter form a line in the morning sky and the waning Moon is close to Jupiter. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise), click to embiggen.	Morning sky on Thursday,  May 6 showing the eastern sky as seen from Adelaide  at 4:30 am ACST. Saturn and Jupiter form a line in the morning sky with the waning Moon is close to Jupiter. Similar views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent local time (90 minutes before sunrise), click to embiggen.

If you are up early in the morning from the 3rd to the 6th you will see a beautiful dance between the planets Saturn and Jupiter and the waning Moon. On the 3rd the waning Moon forms a line with Saturn and Jupiter. On the 4th the last quarter Moon is close to Saturn. On the 5th the Moon is between Saturn and Mars and on the 6th the crescent Moon forms a line with Saturn and Jupiter again.You can see the three objects from 2 am (local time) on.

Labels: Jupiter, Moon, Saturn, unaided eye

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 12:41 am 0 comments

Venus, crescent Moon, Saturn and Jupiter on 7 December 2021 at 22:05 ACDST, (90 Minutes after Sunset) as seen from Adelaide. Most of Australia will enjoy similar views 90 Minutes after Sunset Click to embiggen.

The table below shows significant astronomical events that can be seen with the unaided eye or minimal equipment in 2021 in Australia (and to some degree elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere, ocultations and eclipses are very region specific). 

This year we get a good Total Lunar eclipse during a perigee "super" Full Moon and a partial lunar eclipse under very poor conditions. There is a good opposition of Jupiter and Saturn. Mars skims past the Pleiades and Beehive cluster. Venus too skims past the Beehive. There is also a good opposition of Vesta.

While we don't have a spectacular conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn this year, we have some fantastic parings and lineups and good meteor showers.

Close pairings of the Moon and bright planets are given special attention as not only is the Moon a ready guide to locating the planets if you are not familiar with them, these massings are rather beautiful. 

Special events are bolded.

Labels: asteroids, Conjunction, eclipse, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Meteors, Opposition, Saturn, unaided eye, Venus, Yearly Sky Events

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 3:25 pm 0 comments