Special planetary alignment

Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn are aligned in the sky and between April 23 and April 29 the Moon will join the celestial rendezvous.

These four planets will continue to parade together in a cosmic line-up until early July, 2022. Neptune meets up with them on May 12, and Mercury will be last to join the party in the middle of June, making this spectacular alignment even more magnificent.

In some locations it may be possible to view Mercury as early as June 10, however for many locations Mercury will be visible mid to late June.

To view this rare celestial event, look to the East between 5-6am, when the planets appear over the horizon - the moon will be sitting on the far right

Venus—which is approximately 12 times brighter than Jupiter, is the brightest and easiest to see on the horizon when the sky is clear. Jupiter is the second most visible. Mars is a little more difficult, as it is 250 times less bright than Venus, although it should have a significant red glow which helps it stand out. Mercury is the faintest and most difficult planet to see.

Although the planets will be visible with no equipment, binoculars and telescopes can be used to view them in more detail.

There is a lot of activity occurring right now as, not only are planets aligning a major solar flare has erupted from the sun.