Whether you're an amateur astronomer, a casual stargazer or an evil sorcerer with a cosmic scheme, now is the perfect time to witness a rare alignment of three planets in the night sky.
Venus, Jupiter and Mars currently appear extraordinarily close to one another in the sky, due to the coincidental timing of their orbits around the sun. The planets, which are best seen just before dawn, have been lined up in the eastern sky for several nights, and have now moved into a tight triangle.
The uncommon event, called a planetary conjunction, is visible to the naked eye, and easily photographed using nothing more powerful than a smartphone camera.
Jupiter appears slightly higher than the other two planets, near the constellation Leo in the night sky. Venus is positioned just below Jupiter, and Mars is below Venus, as a faint red light. Venus and Jupiter shine more brightly.
Many stargazers have already posted photos and advice on seeing the cosmic event on Twitter.
look east southeast for Jupiter mars and venus
— peyton ☆ (@hotchellepey)
Good morning to planets number 2, 4 & 5 from # 3! Get out & enjoy this sight while you can!
— Mr. Michie (@MichieHEHS)
this
— CanadianUrbanFishing (@CanUrbanFishing)
Walked out my front door to see jupiter, venus and mars in the ESE sky waving good morning. W binoculars, i think i see rings and 3 moons?
— John (@wheeledgoat)
I'm obsessed with Jupiter, Venus, & Mars in the mornings lately. Mars too faint here on iPhone cam:
— Adam Kane (@KaneTruth)
The three planets have been in close proximity for the last week or so, and will now begin to move out of alignment.
Mars and Venus are expected to move close to each other on Nov. 3, so if you want to see the two planets get together, turn your eyes skyward before the sun rises that day. The waning moon is also expected to pass close to Mars and Venus in the coming days.