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Get Up Early This Month to See a Bright Celestial Quintet in the Sky

5 planets will be in view early every morning for the next month.
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In the mood for a little predawn astronomy? You're in luck: For the next 30 days or so you'll be able to see with the naked eye five of the brightest planets in our solar system, all at once, every morning.

It's a lucky alignment of celestial bodies that hasn't occurred since 2005. But there's nothing mystical or sinister in it. Sometimes it just happens that the the planets' orbits sync up to put a bunch on the night side of Earth, where we can see the sun's light illuminate them. Watch for this to begin over the next few days.

In order of distance from the horizon, Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter will all be on display — as long as you're willing to get up early. Once dawn hits, show's over. For more detailed sky maps, check out EarthSky's report.

This is only for higher latitudes like the United States, Canada and Northern Europe, though — you might not be so lucky south of the border, but it's worth a try.

Related: Missed Supermoon Total Lunar Eclipse? Next One Due in 2033

It'll be the other way around come August, when for a week straight the Southern Hemisphere will have its turn seeing the planetary quintet, and at a more reasonable hour, too.