Party Of Five...Planets

Not 1, not 2…but 5, count them, 5 planets will be visible in our pre-dawn sky. Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter will grace our sky in a diagonal line from southeast to southwest respectively.  According to astronomers, this hasn't happened in 11 years.

To view the planets you need just one thing: your naked eye. Ok, maybe two more things…clear skies and your winter gear!  The best time to head out is 45 minutes before sunrise (which is 7:08 AM tomorrow). You can see most of the planets as early as tomorrow, but to see all five, you'll need to wait until January 22^nd.

With the exception of the mountains of Northern New England, most of us here in the 6 state region will have mainly clear skies for viewing Wednesday morning. The wind will still be quite active though; northwest gusts 30-40 mph will create wind chill values in the single digits.  But don't forget…wind chill only impacts exposed skin, so as long as you bundle up, you'll be good to go.

Don't want to venture out in the bitter cold? Then don't! We have until February 10^th to enjoy this celestial treat. So check in with us here on the WBZ Weather Team for the latest forecasts to see when our temps will be a bit more tolerable.

If winter time temps really aren't your thing, you're in luck. Experts say the 5 planets will be visible together again in the evening this August. The biggest different is that Mercury and Venus will be sitting low in the western horizon at that point, so it'll be a bit more difficult to view them at higher latitudes.

Skywatchers - grab some pictures and send them our way – we'd love to share your photos on CBS Boston.

Happy planet gazing  :)

-Danielle