In case you didn’t hear this on the news last week … you’ll be interested to know that between January 20 and February 20 you can see all five visible planets 80 minutes before sunrise in an arch across the southern sky.  That’s Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter in order left to right.

The illustration above, linked from earthsky.org, shows where to look and when.  Click here or on the illustration to read more about this phenomenon.

Sunrise tomorrow, Monday, January 25, is at 7:35am in Pittsburgh, but before you set your alarm so you can be outdoors facing south by 6:15am you’ll want to know if it’s worth it. Pittsburgh’s skies are notoriously cloudy in the winter.  Will the sky be clear enough to see five planets?

To find out, check the handy chart for Pittsburgh here at ClearDarkSky.com.

Here’s a sample of what you’ll find when you get there.  This is yesterday’s chart surrounded by an orange border to remind you that this is ONLY A SAMPLE! Click on the image to see the real thing.

On the chart, dark blue on the “Darkness” line is good.  The white to pale blue areas indicate cloud cover, moonlight or sunlight.

Check the chart and get up early between now and February 20.

If you don’t live in Pittsburgh, click here to find your location.

Good luck!

(illustration of five planets linked from EarthSky.org plus a sample of the Pittsburgh Clear Dark Sky chart from ClearDarkSky.com)