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LOOK UP! There are seven planets in the night sky. How to find them...

NEWS 5

By: Katie McGraw

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You can still see several planets in the night sky over the next several days. Some are easier to spot than others, though! Find out when and where to look. Plus, will the weather cooperate this weekend to try and see them?

WHEN AND WHERE TO LOOK:

According to NASA, Jupiter and Mars rule the sky, and you can find them easily! They will be high overhead in the evening, together with the winter constellations of Orion, Taurus, and Gemini.

Several other planets are also visible in the evening. Uranus and Neptune are out there as well but will need a telescope to see them.

Mercury: Pops up just above the horizon in late February, looking relatively bright as sunset fades
Venus: Looking brilliant in the west after sunset all month
Mars: Bright and amber-orange colored, high in the east each evening. It's the last planet to set in the west a couple of hours before sunrise
Jupiter: Find the giant planet high overhead in the evening, looking very bright
Saturn: Somewhat faint, but visible low in the west for the first hour after sunset; increasingly lower as the month goes on

CONDITIONS FOR VIEWING:

High pressure is moving in this weekend. An easy way to remember what high-pressure means is by using the phrase "High and dry!" You can already see the impacts of high pressure over the last day. Snow has ended, and the sun is out and shining!

Clouds will start to filter back in this weekend, but should still be partly cloudy Saturday night to try and catch a glimpse of the planet parade. I know I noticed Jupiter high in the sky Friday night very easily!

Be sure to dress warm when you head outside to look- it will be frigid again Saturday evening with temperatures in the 20s. Clouds will start to thicken on Sunday, so Saturday night is the best chance to spot the planets!