Planets Aligned: Jupiter, Venus, Saturn And Mars Parade Across OH Sky

OHIO — Ohio stargazers are preparing for a striking view of four planets — Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Mars — as they align this weekend.

Skywatchers will have to get up early Saturday morning — the best time to see the planetary parade is about an hour before sunrise.

The alignment of four planets just above the horizon can be viewed easily in the eastern sky without a telescope through the end of the month, according to NASA, weather permitting.

Most northern Ohio regions are expected to be partially cloudy early Saturday morning, but some southern regions could see a fully cloudy sky, so be sure to check the weather forecast Friday night.

The two brightest planets, Jupiter and Venus, have an “ultra-close” conjunction, the space agency said. The last time the two planets appeared this close together was on Nov. 24, 2019.

“Of course,” NASA explained, “the planets are actually far apart in space, and only appear to move closer, or farther apart, in the sky as our view of them across the solar system changes from month to month.”

This conjunction isn’t as impressive as the grand conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in late 2020, but the planetary lineup is “still really impressive” and will “make for thrilling sights in the morning sky,” NASA said. “So definitely try to catch them if you can!”

While you’re scanning the sky, you may still see a few stray shooting stars from the Lyrids meteor shower, known for producing fireballs with bright dust trails that can last for a few seconds. The monthlong Eta Aquarids meteor shower is also underway. It peaks May 4-5.

The meteor shower favors the Southern Hemisphere, where it produces about 60 meteors an hour, but it's a decent show in the Northern Hemisphere, too, and viewers in this part of the world can expect to see about half that many. Comet Haley is the parent of this meteor shower, which has been observed since ancient times.