The saga of the planetary parade now rolls into spring. As we cross the threshold from winter into bloom season 2023, five planets—Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and Mars—plus the quarter moon are set to align on March 28, forming an imperfect arc from low on the western horizon, heavenward toward the southwest.
In just days, looking due west shortly after sundown, the avid sky watcher will find Mercury (with brightness magnitude -1.3) and Jupiter (magnitude -2.1) near the horizon in the constellation Pisces, marking one end of a cosmic convoy spanning a 50-degree section of sky. The two bright objects will hold a convergence here, one degree apart—about the same distance as two full moons. They may be challenging to spot; luckily Venus will beacon brightly almost directly overhead, which one can trace to the setting sun to find them….