How to See Five Planets in the Shreveport Sky This Week
If you like to see cool things in space, this is a great week. You can get a look at a special view over the Shreveport area and it won’t happen again until 2040.
NASA says five planets will be visible with the naked eye over the horizon and on Friday the moon will make an extra special appearance which will make for quite a view for star gazers and many others who love to check out rare sights in the sky.
During the summer, you can often spot Mars and Venus and maybe even Jupiter. But this week, the Earth will lineup with Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and Venus. These planets have been all in a lineup for several weeks, but we will see the Moon in the picture this week.
The best time to catch this will be on Friday morning about an hour or two before sunrise. Look to the southeast sky and you will see the planets in a diagonal line just above the horizon. You will likely see the moon right between Venus and Mars.
Our area will have another clear night for viewing this rare happening. If you want to get the best view, you’ll have to wake up very early. The best time to see this will be about 3am CST.
How to Find the Planets Line Up in the Sky
Look for the brightest light in the sky. That will be Venus. Mercury will be just below that and below that you should find it easy to pick up Jupiter and then Mars with Saturn on the end. You will be able to spot this phenomenon until about 4:22am on Friday. If you don’t catch this peak viewing morning, you will still be able to catch this lineup through the middle of July.