Will Sioux Falls Be Able to See This Week’s Five-Planetary Party?
There's a rare celestial show set to take place this week, that should be a stargazer's dream, however, thanks to a forecast filled with clouds during the evening hours, Mother Nature might be putting the kibosh on our viewing plans here in the Sioux Empire.
Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, and Mars will all be lined up in the night sky in close proximity to the moon this week. There's just one problem, this week here in the Sioux Falls area it's beginning to look like it will be too cloudy most of the time to take a peek.
Dakota News Now reports your best chance to view this planetary party should be on Tuesday night, the optimal viewing time will be right after sunset on Tuesday, (March 28) on the western horizon. Five plants are set to stretch from the horizon line to around halfway up the night sky.
Be advised, should Mother Nature decide not to be a planetary party pooper, don't be late to this planet viewing party because Mercury and Jupiter will be making an early exit as they dip below the horizon around half an hour after sunset according to NASA astronomer, Bill Cooke.
Supposedly you should be able to get a good view of the five-planet alignment from anywhere on earth as long as there is a clear sky and an unobstructed view of the western horizon.
According to Dakota News Now, Jupiter, Venus, and Mars will shine brightly in the night sky and should be fairly easy to spot. You may need a set of binoculars to get a gaze at Mercury and Uranus as they will appear much dimmer.
Planetary alignments don't happen all that often. There was a five-planet lineup during the summer of 2022 and another one set to take place again this June, with a slightly different makeup.
As Dakota News Now reports, these planetary parties take place when the planets’ orbits line them up on one side of the sun from Earth’s perspective.
Let's just hope we get a break in the clouds at some point during the evening hours this week for those of us hoping to try and take a quick peep.
Source: Dakota News Now
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