This is a busy week, astronomically speaking. The Great North American Eclipse is on Monday, April 8, 2024. Here in Alton, Missouri, totality occurs at 1:50 pm. However, leading up to this event, four planets line up in the morning sky. During totality, seven planets can be seen.
Four Planets In The Morning
Beginning the morning of April 4, 2024, four planets will be visible in the morning sky. One can see Venus, Saturn, Neptune, and Mars an hour before sunrise. Venus is a bright light that is difficult to miss. Compare that to Neptune, which is slight and may be mistaken for a star. You can read about their locations here.
Eclipse
One would have to hide in a closet not to be aware of the upcoming eclipse. This eclipse happens in Alton on Monday, April 8, 2024, shortly after noon. It is a total solar eclipse in which the moon totally covers the sun. It is a treat worth looking forward to.
Eclipse Lineup
When it gets dark during the day during the eclipse, you can see all the planets aligned in the sky! Mars, Saturn, Neptune, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, and Uranus will be lined up along with the eclipsed Sun. In addition, there’s also a chance that you can see comet 12P/Pons-Brooks without the aid of a telescope.
The largest and brightest planets (Mars, Saturn, Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter) can be seen without any tools. But the others—Neptune and Uranus—are trickier to spot and require at least binoculars. This is rare, as all planets gathering in one quadrant happen only seven times in the current millennium.
You can read all about alignments here.
Whatever your plans for Monday, it is a good idea to watch the sky for all the wonders happening.
