What to know
- Four planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—will be visible in Toronto’s night sky starting Tuesday and lasting until Jan. 22.
- To get the best view, expert Yanqin Wu recommends heading to a dark park like Christie Pits or Downsview Park; Jupiter and Saturn can be seen with the naked eye, while Uranus and Neptune require binoculars.
- Skywatchers can also look ahead to a larger planet parade in late February, when six planets are expected to line up across the evening sky.
This week, Torontonians will be able to see four planets in the night sky.
Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus will have perfect to average visibility, according to timeanddate.com, while Neptune will be more difficult to see.
The planet sighting is only visible until Jan. 22 – a phenomenon that typically happens once a year.
“The sky is turning all the time… Today it’s going to be in some constellation… Today, there will be some, some Aquarius or Pegasus, in that constellation that will be in Neptune and Saturn,” Wu said.
How to see the planets
For those looking to gaze at the planets, University of Toronto astronomy Professor Yanqin Wu says it’s key to find a dark spot away from the city’s bright street lights.
“If they could find where the moon is – the nice thing about the moon is that [it] rises and falls, so it’s easy to see. They can go around this trajectory, and that’s roughly where the planets are going to be,” Wu told Now Toronto.
She recommends Christie Pits, Downsview Park, or any dark park near them.
In a dark area, it’s easier to find the planets – especially Jupiter. “You just go out there and see a bright thing; most likely it’s Jupiter,” Wu said.
She adds that it’s especially helpful that the moon won’t be too bright. “Usually, the moon is very bright, so it’s hard to see the stars. But today, the moon is a waxing crescent, which means it’s quite low.”
Saturn can also be spotted with the naked eye.
However, for astronomy lovers who would love to see Neptune and Uranus, they’ll need binoculars.
To find specific details on when planets are visible and at what coordinates, Wu recommends entering “TheSkyLive Toronto” in the search bar. This site acts as a guide to the Solar System and the Night Sky, with information about planet location and visibility.
Astronomy lovers can also visit timeanddate’s website to view an interactive night sky map. This feature allows people to point their device at the sky, discover where a planet is, and find what time it rises and sets.
Planet parade in February
Beyond this month, around Feb. 25-28, there will be a planet parade with six planets in the evening sky.
The planets set to be visible in this parade include Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune along the same arc.
