As we look up to the night sky, depending on the time of year, you will get to see several magnificent wonders out in space. Unfortunately, though, throughout the past month, the sky has seemed pretty bare. But, as it turns out, you just have to know WHEN to look.
Currently, the naked eye planets are on the other side of the planet (the sun-facing side.) You could look up at the sky every evening of the month, and you would be met with a very barren sky.
What’s worse, is that throughout the month, Venus and Mars are very close to one another and visible with the naked eye, just not right after sunset.
According to BigThink, on March 16 these two planets came so close together that they only were about three fingers width apart at arm’s length! And Venus was the brightest of all, as it will reach maximum elongation on March 20th.
Then, on March 28, Mars, Saturn, and Venus will all be viewable in the night sky, and if you use binoculars you will be able to see Saturn quite clearly. Not only that, but they will fit within a circle that is 5.3 degrees. This type of planetary trio being this close together is extremely rare.
So, you may be asking yourself, if the planets are all hiding on the other side, how exactly am I supposed to view them? The trick is to either stay up late and be outside a few hours before sunrise, or you can wake up early.
And throughout April, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and Venus will all line the pre-dawn sky!
While it may seem like a hard task to accomplish (staying up late, or getting up early, I assure you this view is well worth it. And if you love to look up at the stars, and the planets in outer space, you truly do not want to miss out on this!