Moon to sweep past trio of morning planets next week

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Moon to sweep past trio of morning planets next week

Brian Lada

The first big astronomy event of February will unfold in the early morning sky next week, but only for a few fleeting moments -- and onlookers must look in a particular part of the sky.

Since last summer, Venus has been a prominent feature in the pre-dawn sky holding true to its nickname as the ‘morning star.' Although it is a planet, Venus outshines every star and is the third brightest natural object in the sky after the sun and the moon.

However, all good things must come to an end, and so too will Venus' time to shine before sunrise. But before it leaves the morning sky and swings around the sun to eventually appear in the evening, it will go out with a bang, meeting up with two other planets - at least from the perspective of stargazers on the Earth.

Saturn, Venus and Jupiter will appear in a line each morning next week, but two days in particular will stand out as the best opportunities to try and catch a glimpse of the trio as the thin crescent moon will pay the planets a visit.

On Tuesday, Feb. 9, and Wednesday, Feb. 10, the crescent moon will appear off to the right of the three planets. The latter of the two dates will be the most impressive with the moon appearing very close to the planets.

This will be a challenging event to spot, even for experienced stargazers, as the four celestial objects will be very low on the southeastern horizon.

Some planning may be required to spot the celestial gathering as nearby trees and buildings could obstruct the views, so those trying to see the event may want to travel to a higher spot where there is a clear view of the horizon.

Timing is also crucial as all four will only be visible around 20 minutes before sunrise with Jupiter rising last. Once the top of the sun pierces the horizon, it will be too bright to see the planets or the crescent moon.

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As the month progresses, Jupiter and Saturn will gradually become easier to spot in the early morning sky, and the planets will rise slightly earlier each morning.

During the last week of February, Mercury will join Jupiter and Saturn, appearing almost directly between the two planets in another noteworthy, pre-dawn planetary meet-up.

Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.

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