Early risers this month can see a “planet parade” building in the eastern sky before sunrise featuring Saturn, Jupiter, Venus and Mercury. Best seen about an hour before sunrise, on Monday, Aug. 11, Saturn will be visible in the south, with bright planets Jupiter and Venus in the east. Mercury may also be glimpsed below Venus and Jupiter as sunrise nears, but the “Swift Planet” will be easier to see later this week. Uranus and Neptune will also be in the sky — making a six-planet parade — but neither is visible to the naked eye.
About an hour before sunrise, Venus and Jupiter — the two brightest planets in the solar system — will appear to be very close to each other, while Saturn will be easily visible in the southern sky.
The highlight of this week’s “planet parade” will come on Tuesday, Aug. 12, when the two planets will be just 0.9 degrees apart. Jupiter will be on the left, slightly higher in the sky than Venus.
Mercury will join the "planet parade" on or around Tuesday, Aug. 12, according to Sky & Telescope, becoming visible just above the eastern horizon about 45 minutes before sunrise. It will be farthest from the sun — so highest in the sky — on Aug. 19 and remain visible until around Aug. 26.
Saturn is currently brightening as it nears its annual bright “opposition” on Sept. 21, when Earth will be between Saturn and the sun.
The next “planet parade” isn’t until October 2028, when five planets will be visible together before sunrise.
If you're outside while it's dark — or you return after dark later in the day — keep your eyes peeled for "shooting stars" from the Perseid meteor shower. It peaks overnight on Tuesday, Aug. 12 through Wednesday, Aug. 13, when 50-75 "shooting stars" are typically visible each hour, with activity high on the nights either side. Bright moonlight will restrict visibility this year, but the Perseids are known for their occasional very bright fireballs.
This “planet parade” will become more visible and easier to see as the days pass during August. After this week’s Venus-Jupiter conjunction, Mercury will become easier to see as it rises higher. Next week, as Mercury reaches its highest point in the morning sky, a waning crescent moon will move through the planets, creating a beautiful scene. Here are the key dates:
The “planet parade” will draw to a close around Aug. 26 as Mercury disappears from view, leaving Saturn and Jupiter to gradually brighten as Venus begins to fade. However, Venus has one last act — before sunrise on Aug. 31, it will pass across the Beehive Cluster, one of the closest open clusters of stars to the solar system, which should be a fabulous sight through binoculars.