STARGAZING is obviously a hobby best suited to night owls. The darkest skies that come in the middle of the night tend to provide the greatest number of astronomical opportunities. But every so often, early birds get a chance to make the most of being up before dawn, and this week we highlight one such opportunity.
In the last week of March and the first week of April, stargazers around the world will be able to see three planets close to each other in the sky in the hour or so before the sun rises. Saturn, Venus and Mars will appear in a triangle, close to the sliver of the crescent moon in the sky. Just look to the east before sunrise.
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Exactly when these planets will appear and in what configuration depends on where you are in the world, but they will be closest together in the sky around 30 March. In the days leading up to this, for those in the northern hemisphere, Saturn will appear furthest to the east with Venus and Mars more towards the south. They will all be near the horizon. After 30 March, Saturn will move towards the middle of the triangle. Venus will be the brightest of the three, with Saturn and Mars much fainter in comparison. All three should be easy to spot with the naked eye.
You will need a clear view of the south-eastern horizon to catch the planets, away from trees or tall buildings. This is because they will be rising just before the sun, leaving a period of less than half an hour each day in which to spot them for most people, particularly those in the northern hemisphere. In some places, mainly in the southern hemisphere, there will be more time to catch them – at least an hour.
For those in the southern hemisphere, Jupiter will also make an appearance, trailing behind the other three planets at first but catching up to them by the second week of April.
Those in places far enough south to be able to see Jupiter while it is still dark might even catch a glimpse of its largest moons – Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto – through powerful binoculars or a small telescope. In most places, however, Jupiter will be rising too close to sunrise for them to be seen.
To plan what you want to spot, discover which times will be best to look or to check which planets you are seeing, use a stargazing app or astronomy software like Stellarium, which will let you know what you can expect to spot from where you live. Don’t worry if you miss your first chances to view them – these planets will remain in the morning sky for most of April, too.
If you miss out entirely, fear not. Venus will be visible in the mornings until November, Saturn can be seen until August (when it becomes an evening planet) and Mars will be visible in the mornings until October, when it starts to rise in the evenings.
What you need
A clear view of the horizon
An alarm clock
Powerful binoculars or a small telescope (optional)
An astronomy app (optional)
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