After spending the week glued to the TV and our devices, we were all able to take a breather. Luckily, the night sky set up an entire weekend of entertainment for us, in the form of a rare three-planet connection with Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn. The last time this particular combination occurred was in October 2015. Here’s what you need to know about this weekend’s astronomical highlight, and how to see some planets.
Didn’t we just have a planetary connection?
As you may recall, when you saw a news story about it every day for three months, on 21 December 2020, we were treated to a once in the 800 years “Great merger” also known as the “Christmas Star”, or the “Planets’ Kiss.” One involved only two planets (Jupiter and Saturn), although it was unbelievable close together. The one this weekend contains the two planets – plus Mercury – although it will not be so rare like the previous month.
How to view the three-planet connection
The meeting of the three planets began last night and is visible tonight, tomorrow (Sunday) and Monday night. All the planets will appear low in the west – near the sunset point on the horizon – with Jupiter as the brightest of the three, followed by Mercury and then Saturn, according to EarthSky. The strictest grouping of the planets will take place tomorrow night.
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If there is clear sky in your area, you should be able to see the conjunction without binoculars – but if you happen to have one, you might as well use it to get a better view. The best time to get the conjunction is right after sunset – it’s early and early so the kids can peek before bedtime.
And if you miss this three-planet connection, next month comes another one with Mercury, Venus and Jupiter.