Stargazers are in for a treat as five planets of the solar system will be aligned across the dawn sky over the next month.
Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter will be simultaneously visible to the naked eye in Thailand from now until Feb. 20, from dusk until sunrise.
Saran Poshyachinda, deputy director of the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT), said this was a rare astronomical phenomenon and last happened 11 years ago.
The alignment is happening because the “ecliptic plane” of the orbits of the five planets is lining up, according to NASA.
Experts have advised astronomy lovers to start their viewing 45 minutes before dawn. They also warned that Mercury will become fainter towards the end of the viewing window in February.
If you can’t face getting up that early, the next time the phenomenon takes place is from Aug. 13 to Aug. 19, when the five planets will be visible in the evening sky – although Mercury and Venus will be slightly harder to see.
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