Astronomy. The rare alignment of the planets since Sunday has been visible to the naked eye

Also watch out for early morning wakes and night owls: you may observe a rare astronomical structure on Sunday morning. A total of four planets – Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn – will be aligned from Earth.

What is the reason for this perspective effect? Eric Lagadek, president of the French Astronomical Society, explains on Twitter that the four stars are currently “on the same side of the sun as seen from Earth.” The reason for “we see them in the same direction”.

You do not need to take out your telescope to take advantage of this event. All you have to do is look east-southeast at the right time and in the right place. The French Astronomical Society advises His website To position yourself on a “clear observation site”, preferably at sea or on a mountain or urban elevation. Fortunately, the weather is fine.

Multi-day show

Saturn is the first planet to roll over at 5 p.m. It will be connected to Mars in half an hour and will be characterized by its orange color. Then comes Venus at 5:40 p.m. The evening star is unrecognizable, it differs by its brightness. Finally, Jupiter and its rings will appear at 6 a.m., when the sky will already begin to clear.

If you plan to sleep this Easter weekend, do not panic: this event will last for several days. Little by little, this structure in a single file breaks down as the planets move away from or closer to the Sun.

From April 23, the Moon will join the planetary procession, which lasts for a week. The so-called “March of the Planets” will begin again on June 24: all the planets in the solar system will be aligned from east to south. But not all stars are visible to the naked eye. A telescope or astronomical lens is required to distinguish between Neptune and Uranus.