Stargazers will be in for a treat over the next few nights, with all seven of the other planets in the solar system visible across the night sky.
The rare phenomenon, called a “grand planetary alignment”, will be visible over the next few evenings.
It will be the last time Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Mercury and Saturn can be simultaneously seen so clearly until 2040.
How do you catch a glimpse of the alignment?
Stardome astronomer Josh Aroaki said the alignment would be visible in New Zealand on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evening this week.
He said all the planets would be visible for a few minutes just after sunset.
To see all seven of Earth’s cosmic neighbours, you will need a clear, unobstructed view of the horizon from the west to the east.
“Most of the planets are going to be kind of centred in the western sky toward the setting sun, and then a few in the north into the northeast,” Aroaki said.
“So you need clear skies and a really clear high vantage point.”
Get any photos of the grand planetary alignment? Email them to [email protected] with the subject line “planets”.
He said Venus, Jupiter and Mars would be the easiest to spot, as they can be seen with the naked eye.
“They’re really bright at the moment, and as a rule of thumb planets don’t twinkle, whereas stars do.
“So if you see a really, really bright-looking star, which is unusually brighter than the others, and it’s not twinkling, that’s probably a planet.”
Uranus and Neptune are not visible with the naked eye, so Aroaki said you would need to use a telescope or binoculars to see them.
He said Mercury and Saturn sit low on the horizon, “so you probably need telescopes to see those two”.
Aroaki said there is only a short window to see the alignment.
“So probably the next three to four days is your best bet, starting tonight.”
How does the weather look?
For anyone planning to get out and look at the alignment and hoping for clear skies, the forecast is a mixed bag over the next couple of days.
According to MetService’s short forecast for today and tomorrow, Northland, Auckland, Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty are likely to see fine spells and isolated showers.
The North Island, from Waikato to Wellington and also Wairarapa, is mostly cloudy.
Some possibly heavy showers are expected to develop on Taupo and Taihape.
It’s fine or becoming fine from Buller to Westland, as well as Nelson and Marlborough, this afternoon.
Canterbury is mostly cloudy with patchy drizzle, which will clear “for a time” this afternoon and evening.
For Otago, Southland and Fiordland, it’s partly cloudy about the coast with the odd shower, but it is otherwise mainly fine.
It’s mostly cloudy on the Chatham Islands, with a shower or two.
On Friday, the North Island will likely see a few showers in northern and central areas, but it will be partly cloudy elsewhere.
The South Island will see morning cloud and drizzle in the east, but otherwise, it is fine. Showers are expected to develop around Fiordland.