It’s a rare spectacle, rare enough to make anyone get up just a bit early and gaze at the brightening eastern sky. From the 28^th of April, continuing till the 1^st or even 2^nd of May, the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter will be seen along with the Moon, all on the eastern sky just above the horizon.

Get your telescopes, or binoculars, or just use your naked eyes to view this planetary symphony. Venus will be readily spotted, as a pretty bright dot. Mercury will also be quite visible. Mars will be dim and closer to the horizon. Spotting Mars will be a slight challenge and enthusiasts should enjoy that. Further, Jupiter will be very close to Mars and, again, near the horizon. (See picture below.)

People living in the middle latitudes (about 40 degrees north or south) will have a small window to observe since most of the time, the planets will be below the horizon. After they appear, it won’t be too long before sunrise. Those living closer to the equator will have better opportunity.

These will be the positions at about 5:30 AM or 6:00 AM from about 35-40 degrees north or south latitudes. Note the horizon (green line), just below which the sun lies at this time. Made by author using Kstar and Adobe Photoshop.

This will be the arrangement for people living close to the equator at about 5:30 AM. It's still some time for sunrise. Made by the author using KStar and Adobe Photoshop.

An important word of caution: Remember that this will be close to sunrise, so be careful about staring directly at the Sun. By no means, should you aim at the Sun using a telescope or binoculars. Protect your eyes – the Sun is powerful enough to blind you, if you look directly at it.

If you miss your alarm on the 29^th, don’t worry. You can catch this again next day, onto the 1^st of May.

Oh, and this has nothing to do with your luck throughout the day, so don’t trust anyone trying to sell you an astrological ring. Just enjoy the view!

Wishing you happy planet hunting!