Planets in alignment this weekend
The pubic is urged to get up early from Friday to Sunday to witness a special alignment of Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Mercury and the moon.
The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand reported that the alignment will take place before daybreak. “If you look towards the east, a crescent moon will be seen right along an alignment of Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Mercury. The sight should be clearly visible if the sky is not obscured by clouds or haze.”
Saran Potyachinda, the institute’s deputy director, said the public should be able to view this planetary alignment from October 9 to 11. It is similar to the one that occurred in June but this time will occur just before dawn.
“It’s a good opportunity to be able to observe four planets in our solar system with our own eyes, all in the same direction, at the same time,” he said.
The four planets are Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus. Saturn should be visible too, but only in the early evening of October 9.
Venus will be beside the crescent moon, and below that will be Mars, followed by Jupiter and Mercury. On October 10, Mars and Jupiter will be situated right along the crescent moon, and on the last day, on October 11, the moon will be situated right along Mercury.
During that time, Jupiter and Venus will be easily observable as they will be the brightest objects in the night sky other than the moon. Mercury will be a bit difficult to observe as it is situated a little above the horizon, and the incoming sunlight might distort visibility. If the weather is clear, though, the alignment should be visible throughout Thailand.
October is the month when the sky clears as the cooler season approaches and is the best time to observe the celestial sky. For astronomical information, the public may look up www.Narit.or.th or the organisation’s Facebook fan page at NARITpage.
