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Whether you’re an amateur astronomer, a casual stargazer or an evil sorcerer with a cosmic scheme, now is the perfect time to witness a rare alignment of three planets in the night sky.
A “dawn planetary trio” — Jupiter, Venus, Mars — is visible in the eastern sky about an hour before the sun rises this week and into early November.
Venus and Jupiter are the brightest, only outshone by the sun and moon, and will help sky-gazers spot the Red Planet, which appears dimmer by comparison.
Between Oct. 24-29, the planets could have been spotted within five degrees of each other in a triangle formation that fits inside the field of view of a set of binoculars, NASA said.
But, if you missed this peak viewing time, don’t worry!
While the triangle has started to break apart, a crescent moon will sweep by the planets on Nov. 6 and 7, and give you another chance to catch a glimpse of the planetary event.
You may even be able to see some of Jupiter’s biggest moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, NASA said.
“Waking up before sunrise may not be so bad after all,” the agency said.
The next time three planets will be seen together from Earth is 2021, planetary science website EarthSky reported.
Agencies/Canadajournal
