THIS MONTH'S PLANETS

A planetary parade featuring Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn is something spectacular to look out for in the dawn sky

PLANET OF THE MONTH

CONJUNCTION JUPITER, VENUS, MARS AND SATURN

Usually we take a close look at a single planet that's particularly well-placed for observation, or is unusually bright, but this month we're going to look forward to a parade of planets that will be visible in the sky. It's not rare for a couple of planets to appear to meet in the sky. Groupings of more than two planets happen occasionally, but sometimes Earth and the other planets align in such a way that we can see a larger number of them spread out across the sky in a line. This is what will happen in the middle of April. As dawn approaches, Saturn, Mars, Venus and Jupiter will rise one after another in quick succession, forming a chain of worlds spread out from the east to the southeast.

All will be visible to the naked eye, but the sky will already be starting to brighten as Saturn rises. By the time Jupiter rises and they are all above the horizon, sunrise will be only half an hour away, so the full quartet will not be a striking sight. To see this planetary parade, you'll need a very flat and very low eastern horizon; the planets will all be so low in the sky before sunrise that if there are any trees, buildings or hills on your skyline in that direction they will hide the planets from your view, as will any low banks of cloud.