Community Corner
How To See 5 Planets In Worcester This Weekend
See Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn in the night sky this Sunday. No telescope required.
WORCESTER, MA — If you’re not an early riser, Sunday is the best day to make an exception should you want to see five planets appear simultaneously in the night sky over the Worcester area.
In a rare display, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn will all be visible to the naked eye.
How early should you get up? About two hours before sunrise to catch the best view of Jupiter sinking in the southwestern sky with Saturn just above and to the right, according to Travel and Leisure magazine.
Trace a curved line through both planets into the southern sky and you’ll hit Mars high above the southeastern horizon.
To see Venus and Mercury, trace Mars’ curve down to the horizon in the northeast. Before you get there, you’ll easily spot Venus, one of the brightest objects in the night sky.
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Mercury is a bit more elusive. If your timing is right, the planet will rise in the northeast 45 minutes before sunrise. You’re looking for a small, red dot, and a pair of binoculars would be good to have on hand. If you miss it on Sunday, it will be visible through about Aug. 17.
Keep those binoculars for a bonus glimpse of Jupiter’s four largest moons — Europa, Ganymede, Io and Callisto.
In Worcester, the sun will rise at 5:32 a.m. Sunday. And although Sunday before sunrise is your best bet, you can try again before sunrise on other days this week.
If you’re hoping to spot all eight planets in the sky at the same time, sadly, it’s not possible. Uranus and Neptune aren’t quite visible to the naked eye and require a telescope.
Also, be sure to pencil in a special date between these five planets. On Sept. 8, 2040, there will be a "Great Conjunction" or "Golden Conjunction" — when Mars, Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Jupiter will be visible in the same tiny patch of the night sky, just 10 degrees apart.
