Christmas Eve Planetary Lineup!

Stargazers have rare gift this Christmas, a spectacular lineup of the five naked-eye planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) in addition to the moon! It's all visible at sunset on December 24th.

Start your search in the Western sky immediately after sunset, Venus and Mercury will be the most difficult to find in the glare of twilight, particularly Mercury which is significantly fainter than Venus. Binoculars are particularly helpful finding these two planets.

Near Mercury and Venus you'll see an extremely thin crescent moon.

Saturn, Jupiter and Mars are much higher in the sky and stand out against the background constellations, use the graphic to help locate them.

Merry Christmas, and clear skies!