Venus, Jupiter, Mars align in a rare display

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Good news for astronomy enthusiasts and stargazers of all ages: look towards the eastern horizon and you'll see a planetary conjunction that will last until the end of this week.

BBC reports that  Venus, Mars and Jupiter will be lining up due to the timing of their orbits around the Sun. The three planets have been in close proximity of one another since Saturday, October 24. Venus will eventually pass by Jupiter and catch up with Mars to form a tight, flat triangle on Thursday, October 29.

Observers usually see two planets appear together in the sky several times a year; having three grouped together is considered unusual.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration calls this "a rare and beautiful sight."

This event will not happen again until January 10, 2021, according to iflscience.com.

Unlike Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn, which could not be seen without the proper equipment at any point in time, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter will be within 5 degrees of each other and can be seen by the naked eye. Astronomers advise spectators to look towards the east, near the constellations of Leo and the Big Dipper, just before sunrise. This is the best time to observe them as it is just dark enough to see the planets high up in the sky.

Bring out binoculars and telescopes if you want to see the planets in detail. With luck, it might even be possible to view Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto - the four largest moons of Jupiter.

Venus is 12 times brighter than Jupiter and will be the easiest to identify. Jupiter will be the second brightest followed by Mars, which will appear redder and dimmer than the others. Observers might need to wake up an hour before sunrise to catch Mars at its most visible.

They might appear close together, but in reality, the planets are still millions of kilometers away from each other. They just look that way because their orbits are aligned in our line of sight. Venus is actually 0.69 AU from Earth, Mars is 2.2 AU away, and Jupiter is 6 AU away. One AU, or astronomical unit, is the distance from the Earth to the Sun.

The triangle will drift apart by November. But do not stop looking up just yet; On November 6 and 7, the crescent Moon will move past the three planets, and the four heavenly bodies will be visible in the night sky.