Four planets visible Thursday night

Look for Mars, Saturn, Venus, Jupiter

ROANOKE, Va. – Our little taste of fall has left us with mainly clear skies, which is great news for stargazers.

Thursday night offers a special view, as Mars will appear very close to the moon. The moon is obviously the brightest object in our night sky. Mars, at the moment, is the third brightest. Its brightness will dim a lot over the course of the next month, as Earth distances itself from Mars in its orbit around the sun.

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Saturn will shine a little farther from, and to the right of, the moon in the southeastern sky.

If you turn around, you will see the second brightest object in our night sky - Venus. Venus will appear very low in the southwest horizon and will set shortly after sunset. Jupiter will shine longer in the southwestern sky.

Let us know if you get a chance to see any of these planets.


About the Author

Meteorologist Chris Michaels is an American Meteorological Society (AMS) Certified Broadcaster, forecasting weather conditions in southwest Virginia on WSLS 10 News from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays on Virginia Today.

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