Overview
- Skywatchers can view the grouping over several days in mid-April during the pre-dawn window when the planets sit low in the east.
- The lineup features Mercury, Mars and Saturn visible to the naked eye, while Neptune is too dim without optical gear.
- Observers should aim for 30 to 60 minutes before sunrise and seek a clear, low eastern horizon to keep the planets above obstacles.
- Dark rural sites improve the view because city lights wash out faint objects and make low-lying planets harder to pick out.
- Astronomers note the “alignment” is a perspective effect along the ecliptic rather than a true line-up in space, and visibility in northern Mexico can be tougher due to the planets’ low altitude.