Overview
- Skywatchers can look for a compact lineup over several mornings in mid-April, with the tightest view in the month’s third week and better elevation for the Southern Hemisphere.
- The four-planet show features Mercury, Mars, Saturn and Neptune, with Mercury and Mars visible to the naked eye and Neptune needing a telescope.
- Best viewing comes before sunrise, roughly 30 minutes ahead in the north and 60 to 90 minutes ahead in the south, and stop using binoculars or a telescope a few minutes before sunrise to protect your eyes.
- Look low toward the east from dark rural areas because light pollution and a low angle near the horizon can hide the planets, especially for far-north observers such as those in northern Mexico.
- Astronomers explain that this “alignment” is only apparent along the ecliptic as seen from Earth rather than a true straight-line lineup in space.