Five-planet treat for stargazers

Stargazers, prepare yourselves for a treat!

Venus will appear close to the crescent moon while Mars, Jupiter and Mercury will be beneath them.

We break down the how’s and when’s for you in this comprehensive guide to October’s celestial pageant.

Good luck and feel free to share any pictures you catch on my facebook page, Wes Callison-Tucson News Now. “Look in the direction of sunrise as dawn begins to light the sky”.

October opens with Saturn as a bright evening planet, but it will be gone by the end of the month, Space.com reported.

On October 9, Mars, Jupiter and the moon are expected to form an isosceles triangle, while at the same period, Venus will be passing 2.5 degrees south of the Regulus star. Find an area where you can get a clear view of the eastern horizon and you should be able to see multiple planets. The brightest stars are equal to first or zero magnitude, whereas the very brightest objects, including Venus, the moon and the sun, have negative magnitude.

The last planetary appearance in October will be Jupiter and Venus in a close conjunction on Oct. 25. They will first catch Saturn, then Jupiter, Mars and Venus, and finally Mercury in the night sky during the month.

A small tip: use your clenched fist at arm’s length as a measure for distances. Not shown (but just to the left of the moon): Mars.