Keep an eye to the sky this week for a chance to see a planetary hangout.

Five planets 鈥� Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars 鈥� will line up near the moon.

WHERE AND WHEN CAN YOU SEE THEM?

The best day to catch the whole group is Tuesday. You鈥檒l want to look to the western horizon right after sunset, said NASA astronomer Bill Cooke.

The planets will stretch from the horizon line to around halfway up the night sky. But don鈥檛 be late: Mercury and Jupiter will quickly dip below the horizon around half an hour after sunset.

The five-planet spread can be seen from anywhere on Earth, as long as you have clear skies and a view of the west.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 the beauty of these planetary alignments. It doesn鈥檛 take much,鈥� Cooke said.

DO I NEED BINOCULARS?

Maybe. Jupiter, Venus and Mars will all be pretty easy to see since they shine brightly, Cooke said. 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 and Uranus could be trickier to spot, since they will be dimmer. You鈥檒l probably need to grab a pair of binoculars.

If you鈥檙e a 鈥減lanet collector,鈥� it鈥檚 a rare chance to spot Uranus, which usually isn鈥檛 visible, Cooke said. Look out for its green glow just above Venus.

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鈥檚 another one in June, with a slightly different makeup.

This kind of alignment happens when the planets鈥� orbits line them up on one side of the sun from Earth鈥檚 perspective, Cooke said.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute鈥檚 Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Maddie Burakoff, The Associated Press

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