Who doesn’t love a parade? Tuesday, March 28, 2023, there will be a “planetary parade.”Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Uranus will align in the night sky. Science Alert announced the five planets and Earth’s Moon “will align in a visible arc above the western horizon until March 30. ” The alignment has already started. It will last from March 25 to March 30, but the best visibility is predicted to be just after sunset on Tuesday, March 28. Please note: the best time for naked eye viewing is at or just after sunset. Emmy-winner Janet Ivey, host of Janet’s Planet, predicted f you wait too long after sunset, the inner planets will be below the horizon. Although the planetary alignment will be visible with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope would help. Mercury and Uranus, especially may require a telescope or binoculars.
“The arrangement will be visible just underneath the crescent moon. To spot the display, Dr. Cameron Hummels of CalTech recommended heading out to a place with a good view of the western horizon just after sunset, when streaks of the colorful sunset still remain and the sky has turned dark blue but not yet black. (Tip: Those living far to the north should look slightly southwest, while those in the Southern Hemisphere should gaze northwest, Dr. Hummels said.)”
Dr. Sean Lindsay of the University of Tennessee (Knoxville) warned “‘planetary parade’ has been overhyped.”
Dr. Hummels, a computational astrophysicist at the California Institute of Technology, explained “Not to assign too much significance to a planetary alignment.
“It’s kind of like when your car’s odometer shows a bunch of numbers — like it reaches 44,444,” he said. “It’s cool and unusual. It just doesn’t really mean anything.”
Tuesday evening, turn off the TV and go outside to look up at the night sky. It may not mean anything, but as Dr. Hummels said, it will be “cool and unusual.”
Stay tuned to SciFi.Radio for the best news and music in Science Fiction and Science Fact. Happy stargazing!
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Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress #30”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
