If you're in Serbia on Saturday, you're in for rare astronomical treat: Observe "parade" of 6 planets

Illustration; Photo: Tanjug/AP/NASA

Jovan Aleksic from the Astronomical Observatory Belgrade says that the "parade" of six (Solar System) planets, which will be visible in the sky above Serbia starting on Saturday, is a very rare phenomenon.

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But, Aleksic at the same time noted that due to light pollution, Belgraders and those located at the time in the Serbian capital, will not be able to observe all this with the naked eye alone.

In a statement for Tanjug, Aleksic explained that should the night skies be clear starting February 28 - the planets Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible with the naked eye - but that Uranus and Neptune will only be visible through binoculars or a telescope.

Aleksic said that the planets that will be visible with the naked eye will be very low above the horizon after sunset, and if observed from Belgrade, that means a lot of air pollution and smog that will likely obscure them from view - but the shiny Jupiter will still be visible from Belgrade, high in the night sky.

Aleksic added that after sunset, people located in Serbia should turn to the west where Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will all be visible at the same time.

"Light and especially atmospheric pollution will make it very difficult to see these planets in big cities (without binoculars or telescope), perhaps even impossible," he warned.

When asked why binoculars are necessary to observe Uranus and Neptune, even when all the planets are lined up in such a rare sequence (as seen from Earth) - Aleksic said that Uranus and Neptune are distant planets that consequently have low brightness, which is why they cannot be seen with the naked eye, but only with a telescope.

Commenting on the announcement that Venus will become the third brightest object in the sky by the end of March (after the Sun and the Moon) - Aleksic pointed out that for the average observer, Venus is interesting because it is very bright, even sometimes during daytime.

Asked whether science treats such "planetary parades" as anything other than coincidence in orbital mechanics, or if they provide an opportunity for some specific research, Aleksic said that these are not coincidences, because the planets move along very regular paths, i.e., space science rules.

"We know exactly their distances and velocities, and it is always possible to accurately calculate at any moment where a planet will be. Sooner or later, they will find themselves in a position like the one they will be in now," Aleksic said.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)