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

Five planets 害羞草研究所� Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars 害羞草研究所� will line up near the moon.

WHERE AND WHEN CAN YOU SEE THEM?

The best day to catch the whole group is Tuesday. You害羞草研究所檒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害羞草研究所檛 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.

害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 the beauty of these planetary alignments. It doesn害羞草研究所檛 take much,害羞草研究所� 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害羞草研究所檒l probably need to grab a pair of binoculars.

If you害羞草研究所檙e a 害羞草研究所減lanet collector,害羞草研究所� it害羞草研究所檚 a rare chance to spot Uranus, which usually isn害羞草研究所檛 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害羞草研究所檚 another one in June, with a slightly different makeup.

This kind of alignment happens when the planets害羞草研究所� orbits line them up on one side of the sun from Earth害羞草研究所檚 perspective, Cooke said.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute害羞草研究所檚 Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Maddie Burakoff, The Associated Press

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