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Celestial trio of Mars, Venus, Saturn to shine together before final sunrise of March

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Celestial trio of Mars, Venus, Saturn to shine together before final sunrise of March

The Milky Way rises above the Cerro Tololo Observatory near La Serena, Chile, on July 1, 2019. File Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo

March 29 — Early risers will be treated to a trio of planets this week — a planetary gathering that will continue to put on a show through the beginning of April.

Folks who have been out before daybreak over the past few weeks have likely seen Venus shining bright in the eastern sky before the morning light washes out the views of the stars and planets.

Venus will continue to be the focal point for early morning skywatchers at the end of March this week as two other planets will also swing into the spotlight.

About an hour before sunrise on Thursday, Mars, Saturn and Venus will shine in tight formation in the eastern sky, an event that will be visible from anywhere around the world.

Venus will be the brightest of the three, outshining every star and planet in the sky. Saturn will appear in the middle of the trio with Mars glowing on the right side of the celestial formation.

No telescope will be needed to spot the planets as they are all bright enough to see with the unaided eye, but a bit of luck may be required in the form of cloud-free weather.

If cloudy weather is in the forecast for your area Thursday morning, there will still be a few opportunities to see the trio during the opening days of April, although they will appear slightly different than they will Thursday.

Experts say it will be worth waking up early next Monday and Tuesday to enjoy views of the planets, since Saturn and Mars will appear extremely close to each other.

This two-day event is known as a conjunction and is the first close meeting of these planets since March 31, 2020.

Mars and Saturn will be so close that they will appear in the same field of view of most telescopes, at least for folks who have the energy to set up a telescope before the crack of dawn.

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