Replies

Thanks, I was wondering since I found an article that says.....note the crescent moon reference.

Five Planets Line up at Night; Best View Until 2036, NASA Says
March 22 (Bloomberg) -- Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter will line up in the sky every night for about two weeks from tonight, in a view of the five planets that may be the best until 2036, according to NASA.

The five so-called `naked-eye' planets will be visible for an hour after sunset, and will appear in a line across the sky ``from all locations'' according to a statement posted on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Web site.

The five planets' orbits mean they only ``sporadically'' appear on the same side of the sun, usually every few years, according to NASA. Other such alignments will occur over the next few years, but this may be the best for at least three decades, according to NASA astronomer Myles Standish.

``This particular planetary grouping will quite possibly offer the best nighttime views until 2036,'' Standish, who works at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said in the statement.

The planets will be visible after sunset tonight in the western horizon, with Mercury low in the sky, Venus and Mars above it, Saturn almost directly overhead and Jupiter nearly on the eastern horizon, NASA said, using a map made for a latitude of 34 degrees north, or level with Los Angeles.

******The moon will also be visible, appearing as a crescent tonight near Mercury and waxing over the two weeks to become almost full on April 1 when it will appear above Jupiter, according to NASA.

To see the gathering of planets, viewers should look at the sky away from bright city lights and buildings. The planets should still be visible through urban light pollution, NASA said, adding that the best views will occur during the last eight to 10 days of March.