Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury will form a planetary lineup in the predawn sky on Sept. 1. Early risers can see this alignment above the eastern horizon in the hours before dawn.
Venus will shine as a bright point of light roughly 20 degrees to Jupiter’s upper right. If you hold your clenched fist at arm’s length, it accounts for roughly 10 degrees of sky. Mercury will rise roughly an hour before dawn to form a near-perfect diagonal line with Venus and Jupiter.
This traces the path of the ecliptic, which is the narrow plane in Earth’s sky that contains the orbits of all eight planets.
Mercury’s stunning lineup with Venus
Mercury will quickly become obscured by the morning sun’s glare.
Ensure you have a clear view of the eastern sky to catch the full view. The planetary trio will present a spectacular sight to the naked eye. A telescope with an aperture of 6 inches or more will reveal additional details, such as the four large Galilean moons around Jupiter and the moon-like phases of Venus and Mercury.
The greatest care must be taken to never point a telescope or binoculars toward the rising sun, especially when viewing Mercury. This can permanently damage your sight. If you manage to capture an image of Mercury with Venus and Jupiter, you can share it by sending your photo(s), comments, name, and location.
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