5 planets will fly across the sky in a rare astronomical event, while an asteroid the size of a skyscraper flies close to Earth

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More than half of the planets in the solar system will line up on Monday in a rare spectacle, curving across a corner of the night sky.

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will display in the sky, accompanied by moon and a possible star cluster. While the script will be visible to with the naked eyeAstronomers recommend breaking out binoculars or a telescope to get a more detailed view.

the planets They will line up across the western horizon in an arc about 20 to 25 minutes after sunset on Monday, according to Space.com, starting with Mercury and Jupiter. However, the brightness of the aurora may mask them, Space.com warned, adding that the viewing window is only about 25 to 30 minutes long.

The planets will also be so close to the horizon that any structure or defect in line-of-sight could obscure them. “Your best option is to look at a west-facing coastline that’s completely flat and wide-open with nothing blocking your view,” said Space-Profound.org.

Venus will be slightly higher, but sharper and with a longer viewing window, and above it on the left will be faint, greenish-colored Uranus. Mars is next on the list, which is high and comfortable next to a Crescent moonAccording to Starwalk.

Monday is the best day to observe this phenomenon, but the alignment will be visible in the days leading up to and following the high point.

Before that, though, a huge asteroid the size of a skyscraper will buzz close to Earth inside the moon’s orbit. Asteroid 2023 DZ2 is three times the size of the one that sent nerves fraying and blew out windows over the Russian industrial city of Chelyabinsk 10 years ago.

2023 DZ2 won’t get that close, but it will sail about 100,000 miles away, about halfway between Earth and the Moon, NASA Asteroid Watch reports. This will happen at 3:51 PM on Saturday, although this schedule can be adjusted as feedback flows.

EarthSky.org said the newly discovered asteroid, which NASA estimates to be between 141 and 310 feet wide, will travel 17,426 miles per hour on its way to the sun.

“While close approaches are usual, one such asteroid occurs only once per decade, providing a unique opportunity for science,” NASA said.

the quote: 5 planets will parade across the sky in a rare astronomical event as a skyscraper-sized asteroid flies by Earth (2023, March 23) Retrieved March 23, 2023 from https://phys.org/news/2023-03-planets-parade – Rare astronomical sky. html

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