Bright lights: Four planets align in the sky

Notice a string of bright lights in the sky this morning?

They’re planets!

Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn are all visible in the sky this morning.

Australia’s astronomer at large, Professor Fred Watson, says “the alignment was perfect about a week ago”.

“What’s thrown the excitement into an even higher gear this morning is that the moon has now appeared in that quartet of planets,” he told Ross and Russel.

“We’ve heard in the media that this is a one-in-1000-year event. I haven’t been watching the skies for 1000 years but I think that’s about right.”

If you missed the spectacle this morning, don’t worry — Professor Watson says it will “still be looking pretty good” between 4.30am and 5am on Wednesday.

“These alignments, it’s like a celestial dance that’s happening all the time,” he said.

“We get another alignment in June … where these four planets  — Mars, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn — they’re joined by Mercury. They’re also going to meet the other two planets — Uranus and Neptune — in the sky as well, although you’ll need a telescope to see those. I think it’s the 24th of June.”

Press PLAY below to hear more about the rare sight