March and April will provide ongoing opportunities for viewing the five brightest planets, sometimes simultaneously- providing you’re an early morning person. Throughout March, Mars and brilliant Venus can be seen high in the dawn skies, with Saturn below. For the first three weeks, Mercury will be there, too, descending daily to meet the fifth planet, Jupiter, ascending. On the 21st & 22nd, these two will be separated by less than 2º, very low in the east. This is the only time to see all five planets together, before Mercury fades into the morning twilight; look from about 6:30 am.
March 21st is also the date of the autumn equinox. Dawn on the 29th will present a striking triangle of Mars, Saturn and Venus, just above the almost-new Moon, with Jupiter just risen below. Although the evening sky is empty of planets, a compensation is the sight of the summer constellations in the west, disappearing now with the change of the season, and taking some of our brightest stars: Orion, the Hunter, with Betelguese and Rigel; Canis Major and Minor, the Large and Small Dogs, with Sirius and Procyon; Gemini, the Twins, with Castor and Pollux.
April mornings will continue the big planet show. On the 5th & 6th Mars will be within 0.5º of Saturn; close twins, almost, but Mars is slightly more orange. For a break from planet-gazing, try spotting a meteor from the Lyrid shower on the 22nd or 23rd. The most favourable time will be during the pre-dawn hours, looking north. The peak sighting rate can reach and exceed 18 per hour- although the peak may only last an hour or so.
Over all these weeks, the brightest lights in the night sky (apart from the Moon) will be Venus and Jupiter, and during April Venus will draw away from the other planets to approach Jupiter. According to the lore of the Boorong people of western Victoria, Chargee Gnowee (Venus), besides being sister to Gnowee (the Sun), is married to Ginabongbearp (Jupiter), chief of the ancient spirits. So perhaps it is appropriate that, as a culminating spectacle of this period, Venus and Jupiter will reign over the eastern morning sky on 30th April, separated by only 1º- and by even less in the next dawn. A magnificent sight, visible from about 4 am, and lasting into the morning twilight (about 6:30)- not to be missed!
By Vlack
The Coburg Meddler 