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Look up! When, where and how to spot the alignment of five planets

Some planets will be easier to see than others in late March

Planetary alignment of Mars, Uranus, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury expected in late March 2023

ROANOKE, Va. – An alignment of Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus and Mars will take place in late March. The best night to view them will be Tuesday, March 28.

Alignments, according to our sister station, WDIV in Detroit, can be described as when planets gather close together in a small sector of the sky (as seen from Earth).

The moon will appear near Venus in the western sky on the nights of the 24th and 25th.

By the 27th, it will be closest to Mars with Venus shining brightly to its right. Uranus will be hard to spot close to Venus. Lower on the horizon, Jupiter and Mercury will join the parade in close proximity to one another.

Venus, Jupiter and Mars will be the easiest ones to spot, while you’ll need a telescope or binoculars to pick out Uranus and Mercury.

Below is an estimate of what the southern and western sky will look like on the night of the 28th. This is not drawn to scale.

Planetary alignment of Mars, Uranus, Venus, Jupiter and Mercury expected in late March 2023

If you get any great pictures of the alignment, we want you to send them to us on Pin It! We’ll be sure to share some of them on air and on our website.