Watching the Skies: 5 planets easy to see this week
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The weather is finally warming up, which means it will be a bit more pleasant to get outside and do some stargazing. Here’s the planet roundup for the week:
Three planets will have good visibility in the evening sky this week. Mars, Venus and Mercury will all be shining in the west-northwest after sunset.
Mercury will be getting dimmer from here on out, so now is the time to look for it. The best time to try your luck will be about an hour after the sun has set.
Venus will be brighter than Mercury, but lower on the horizon. Try to catch this planet about half an hour to an hour after sunset.
Mars is the other visible evening planet. It will be to the upper left of Venus and Mercury in the western sky. It will be easiest to see Mars after the glow of evening twilight has completely faded away.
For the early risers, Jupiter and Saturn will be the planets to find before the sun has come up. Both planets will be visible in the southeast sky before sunrise. Jupiter will be the brightest of the two, and Saturn will be off to the right of Jupiter.
The full moon of May will occur next week, and a total lunar eclipse will take place. Unfortunately, most of the country will not be able to see it
The full supermoon will still be a beautiful view, so plan on checking it out on May 26.