ARKANSAS, USA — Look west. Just after sunset, watch the western sky to see five stars, differing in brightness. The glow of dusk from the setting sun may make the lower two stars harder to see.
You should see, from top to bottom: Mars, Uranus, Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter. As a bonus. the Moon will be half-lit. It is in its waxing crescent phase (becoming more illuminated).
Will there be clouds? Tap here for our interactive satellite to see the clouds. Generally, clouds should be decreasing, but there may still be a couple out there.
Sunset time across western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma will be around 7:35 p.m. The best time to look may be around 7:40 p.m. to 8 p.m.
These planets will not be visible in a straight line, but rather than arc shape appearance from just above the horizon to much higher in the sky, near the quarter moon.
In order to see all five, you will need to have an unobstructed view west. If there are buildings or mountains, it may be difficult to see Mercury and Jupiter before they sink below the horizon.
Other alignments ahead this year:
- April 11 & 24 - Small alignment of Mars, Venus, Uranus and Mercury.
- May 29 - Small alignment of Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury and Uranus.
- June 17 - Small alignment of Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Mercury and Uranus.
- July 26 - Small alignment of Mars, Venus and Mercury.
- August 24 - Small alignment of Neptune, Saturn, Jupiter and Uranus.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.