Keep an eye to the sky this week for a chance to see a five-planet hangout: Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars will all line up near the moon.
It's a bird! It's a plane! No, wait, it's a planet!
Five planets, in fact. All you need to do is look up.
Tuesday evening, five planets - Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus and Mars - will all gather within a 50-degree sky sector - in what will be a rare astronomical phenomenon, according to the website Starwalk.
And in the Chicago area, you're in luck: The skies are likely to clear up just time to catch it. However, it wouldn't hurt to have binoculars, or a telescope handy.
Here's what to know.
When and Where Can You See Them?
Although the alignment has been visible for the past few days, the best day, experts say, to catch the planetary alignment is Tuesday. You'll want to look towards the western horizon, just after sunset, NASA astronomer Bill Cooke says.
Local
The parade will stretch from the horizon line to around halfway up the night sky, and it should be visible from "anywhere on Earth," the Associated Press reports -- so long as you have clear skies and a view of the west.
Will Chicago Skies Clear in Time?
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In the Chicago area, the clouds may clear just in time.
According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, Tuesday will start out on the cloudy side. However, after lunchtime, clouds are expected to decrease, and sunny skies are predicted to move in, the NBC 5 Storm Team says.
Do I Need Binoculars, or a Telescope?
It depends.
"Four planets will be visible to the naked eye," Sack says, referring to Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Mercury.
According to Cooke, Jupiter, Venus and Mars, should be easy to spot, as they all shine brightly. Venus will be one of the brightest things in the sky, and Mars will be hanging out near the moon with a reddish glow.
Mercury will be tougher to spot, since it's small, Sack says, adding that "for Uranus, you'll need a telescope."
And don't be late: Mercury and Jupiter will quickly dip below the horizon around half an hour after sunset.
Does This Happen Often?
Different numbers and groups of planets line up in the sky from time to time. There was a five-planet lineup last summer and there's another one in June, with a slightly different makeup.
This kind of alignment happens when the planets’ orbits line them up on one side of the sun from Earth’s perspective, Cooke said.
