Five major planets to line up in rare planetary conjunction

Image source, Empics

There will be five planets in our solar system on Friday.

If the sky is clear, the naked eye can see the planets before dawn.

Mercury is usually obscured from view by the sun's bright light.

The conjunction can be seen on Friday but will not be seen again until Monday.

This conjunction will not be seen again until 2040.

The planets will look like a string of pearls spread out from the horizon.

The planets will appear in chronological order from the sun.

Prof Green says that it's not always the case for planetary conjunctions because of our view from Earth.

There will be a crescent Moon between Venus and Mars.

The UK will get the best views before sunrise. It's a good idea to look eastwards and very close to the horizon from a high spot. The view will be obscured by large buildings. When the sun comes up, it will wash out the sky and obscure the planets.

Prof Green warns sky-gazers not to use telescopes or binoculars because of the risk of looking into the Sun.

Look for the farthest away planet, which isSaturn. You should count through the planets until you find Venus.

Mercury should be the last planet in the line up. Prof Green said it took her a long time to see it. She says it's satisfying if you can see the twinkling planet.

Even though the planets will rise higher in the pre-dawn sky, an early start is still needed by observers in the tropics.