An alignment of planets will be visible just after dusk in the western sky on Tuesday night, provided an approaching storm does not obscure the view.
Just after dusk, around 7:15 p.m., if you look due west beginning low on the horizon you’ll see Jupiter, then tiny Mercury, bright Venus and finally, just below the crescent Moon, orange- red Mars.
Uranus is also in the lineup. It will appear as a very dim greenish star just above Venus. But unless the sky is completely clear, it will be very hard to see without a telescope.
The best view of the planets will be from a beach or a bluff with a clear view of the ocean horizon.
Cross your fingers that the storm forecast to begin late Tuesday night doesn’t obscure the view in San Diego
Planetary alignments happen every few years, but are rare enough that even famed astronaut Buzz Aldrin took note of the latest.
“Don’t forget to look to the sky the end of the month for the planetary alignment which will have at least five planets — plus the moon – all visible in almost an arc shape as seen from Earth,” he tweeted.