Keep an eye to the sky this week for a chance to see a planetary hangout.

Five planets B次元官网网址� Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars B次元官网网址� will line up near the moon.

WHERE AND WHEN CAN YOU SEE THEM?

The best day to catch the whole group is Tuesday. YouB次元官网网址檒l want to look to the western horizon right after sunset, said NASA astronomer Bill Cooke.

The planets will stretch from the horizon line to around halfway up the night sky. But donB次元官网网址檛 be late: Mercury and Jupiter will quickly dip below the horizon around half an hour after sunset.

The five-planet spread can be seen from anywhere on Earth, as long as you have clear skies and a view of the west.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 the beauty of these planetary alignments. It doesnB次元官网网址檛 take much,B次元官网网址� Cooke said.

DO I NEED BINOCULARS?

Maybe. Jupiter, Venus and Mars will all be pretty easy to see since they shine brightly, Cooke said. Venus will be one of the brightest things in the sky, and Mars will be hanging out near the moon with a reddish glow. Mercury and Uranus could be trickier to spot, since they will be dimmer. YouB次元官网网址檒l probably need to grab a pair of binoculars.

If youB次元官网网址檙e a B次元官网网址減lanet collector,B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 a rare chance to spot Uranus, which usually isnB次元官网网址檛 visible, Cooke said. Look out for its green glow just above Venus.

DOES THIS HAPPEN OFTEN?

Different numbers and groups of planets line up in the sky from time to time. There was a five-planet lineup last summer and thereB次元官网网址檚 another one in June, with a slightly different makeup.

This kind of alignment happens when the planetsB次元官网网址� orbits line them up on one side of the sun from EarthB次元官网网址檚 perspective, Cooke said.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical InstituteB次元官网网址檚 Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Maddie Burakoff, The Associated Press

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