A “planet parade” is now visible in the eastern sky before sunrise. Best seen at least an hour before sunrise, bright planets Venus and Jupiter — now beginning to draw away from each other after their close conjunction on Aug. 12 — dominate in the east while Saturn shines in the south. If you persevere until just before sunrise, you may see Mercury, which will get higher each morning this week. Though neither is visible to the naked eye, the distant outer planets Uranus and Neptune will also be in the sky.
This "planet parade," which started around Aug. 10 and will continue throughout the month, features Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — though the latter two gas giant planets are too dim and distant to be seen with the naked eye.
On the morning of Friday, Aug. 15, Venus and Jupiter, shining at magnitudes -3.9 and -1.8, respectively, will appear to be about two degrees from each other. Saturn will be easy to see in the southern night sky, shining alone.
Mercury will become visible just above the eastern horizon about 45 minutes before sunrise. It will be farthest from the sun (and, therefore, highest in the sky) on Aug. 19 and remain visible until around Aug. 26.
Mercury will appear below 10 degrees altitude, according to NASA, so observe from a location with an unobstructed eastern horizon. However, the planets’ exact rise times depend on location.
The next highlight of the “planet parade” will come on Wednesday, Aug. 20, when a slender crescent moon will shine very close to a brilliant Venus.
The following “planet parade” will happen during October 2028, when five planets will be visible together, again before sunrise.
Although the peak of the Perseid meteor shower was earlier this week, this annual display of "shooting stars" underwhelmed this year because bright moonlight restricted the view of its 50-75 meteors per hour. However, by the evening of Friday, Aug. 15, the moon will have dimmed and moved into the post-midnight sky, creating a window of dark skies in the late evening when it may be possible to see the Perseid meteors.
The “planet parade” will this weekend be joined by a waning crescent moon, as well as more easily visible Mercury. On Monday, Aug. 18, a 26% crescent moon will be seen near Venus and Jupiter. On Tuesday, Aug. 19, Mercury will be at its highest in the morning sky as a 16%-lit crescent moon forms a curve with Venus and Jupiter. On Wednesday, Aug. 20, a 9%-lit crescent moon will be close to Venus, with Mercury below and Jupiter above. On Thursday, Aug. 21, a 4%-lit waning crescent moon will be beneath Jupiter and Venus, close to Mercury.