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Planetary alignment to offer view of five bright planets at once
From January 20 to February 20, the planets Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter will all appear visible to the naked eye in the early morning sky for the first time since 2005.
The best view of the alignment will be available from 5.30am to 5.40am (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) starting January 20, and should follow a straight line from Mercury on the horizon to brightly shining Jupiter up top. The line of planets will appear between the horizon and the moon.
Quirk of stellar positioning will put the five planets closest to earth in a straight line visible to the naked eye.Credit: NASA
Because of Mercury's closeness to the horizon, stargazers should find the flattest plane they can to maximise their chances of viewing the alignment, and of course a dark sky away from the city will also help.
Depending on weather conditions you may have to get up early on multiple days to get a good look.
Speaking to Australian Geographic, Melbourne Planetarium's senior curator Dr Tanya Hill said there will be another chance to see the alignment in August, but then not again until October 2016.
Fairfax Media