View six planets align in night-sky parade in January, February

Colombo, Jan 27 (Daily Mirror) - A rare alignment of six planets—Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune—takes place these days, offering a spectacular sight for astronomy enthusiasts and stargazers alike, Director of the Astronomy and Space Science Unit, Department of Physics, Colombo University, and Chairman of the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies, Prof. Chandana Jayaratne, said.

Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars are bright enough to see with the naked eye while Uranus and Neptune are visible with a telescope. This celestial parade can be best seen within 90 minutes after sunset these days up to January 29 and even up to mid-February, Professor Jayaratne said.

"Since all the planets are following the same general path across the sky, it's easier to spot them by looking roughly around an imaginary line drawn from west to east. Though they appear in an arc across the sky, the planets aren't actually arranged in a straight line in space.

"Start by looking to the west. Venus is the brightest in the sky, with Saturn just below it. Draw a line between the two planets, then follow that line upwards to find Jupiter high overhead," he said.

"Keep following the line, and you'll see Mars glowing red to the east. It's extra bright in January because it's directly opposite the sun from our position. The other two planets are not visible to the naked eye. With a telescope and some practice, you can spot Neptune glowing blue just above and south of Venus, then Uranus just to the west of Jupiter," Prof. Jayaratne added.