Who can possibly miss the chance of seeing some of our Solar System’s planets in the sky in the dawn? We can all consider ourselves lucky if we get that chance, even if we see the space objects with the naked eye.
Seeing other planets of the Solar System with binoculars or not to mention a telescope, will be an even greater experience. However, you must keep in mind that unless you pick a good spot from where the skies aren’t too cloudy, it’s pretty much useless to try to see those aforementioned planets.
Prepare for the celestial show starting April 5
Space.com reveals the upcoming show that will delight stargazers. This Tuesday before sunrise, we can witness Venus, Saturn, and Mars as they’re approaching each other somewhere in the east-southeast region of the sky. Three days later on April 8, Jupiter joins the party, although it will be seen far below and somewhere to the left of the other three planets.
Until April 19, Jupiter, Venus, Mars, and Saturn will all be aligned in a diagonal pattern on the night sky, and in precisely this order. Therefore, you should already consider buying tickets for the celestial show!
From all four planets mentioned, humanity can realistically hope to land on only one of them one day. You probably already guessed the name of that planet: it’s none other than Mars. NASA and SpaceX had been speaking more and more in the recent past about landing on the Red Planet sometime in the not-too-far future.
But why wouldn’t humanity ever be able to land on any of the other three planets? It’s not hard at all to figure out the answer as soon as you know some basic things about the Solar System. Jupiter and Saturn are called “gas giants” for a reason: their surface is not solid. Therefore, an astronaut wouldn’t be able to sit on these planets. As for Venus, the more you learn about it, the less you should doubt the existence of Hell. “Earth’s twin” has scorching temperatures at the surface, the atmospheric pressure is literally crushing, and the planet is also teeming with carbon dioxide. As you already concluded, that’s also no destination for a space vacation!