A decade wait, and the BIG 5 finally align again
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The Big 5 can finally be seen by the naked eye from planet earth for the first time since 2005. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn have aligned to display a marvellous show in the night sky in this occasional celestial manifestation.
The 20th of January marked the first day that the alignment of the big 5 was visible to earthlings from Britain, just before dawn on Wednesday, and will continue to align until the 20th February 2016.
So how does one catch a glimpse of this celestial show? It’s easy; first find an open area, away from busy motorways, buildings and bright lights. Just above the horizon (+- 3 degrees) Mercury, the trickiest planet to spot, is clearly visible.
Dr Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society said spotting Mercury would be a challenge as it will be close to the horizon, but the other planets should be easy to see before dawn. “There will be a dance of the planets, and now is the time to get out and have a look,” said Dr Massey. “It will be well worth getting up for.
“People will struggle to see Mercury, it will probably just look like a star but if we get good weather we should be able to see Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter well. But people should have a shot at seeing them altogether.
He added: “Venus will be very obvious in the south east and Saturn will be a little bit higher up to the right. Further over at due south, you’ll see Mars and way beyond in the south east will be Jupiter.
"They won't be in an exact straight line, because you virtually never get that in astronomy. They will be more scattered."
Dr Massey added: “If you have binoculars you will be able to see Jupiter’s moons and the red tinge of Mars. You probably won’t be able to see Saturn’s rings but it will have a funny shape because of the rings which you should be able to pick out. “If you are using binoculars it’s important not to look towards the sun when it rises.”
Astronomer Prof Alan Duffy, of the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, is following the alignment in the southern hemisphere, where it is likely to be easier to spot.
Speaking about Britain he said: "The challenge is Mercury which will rise over the horizon at around 7am but will still be low to the ground as the morning begins and the rising Sunlight outshines it.
"It should be visible for the month so if you don’t succeed at first, try again."
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