“Celestial Spectacle: An Unforgettable Night Sky Parade Featuring a Surprise Visitor”

WTOP/Greg Redfern

WTOP/Greg Redfern

Greetings, from the splendid vessel Azamara Onward navigating south in the Pacific Ocean towards French Polynesia.

On Wednesday evening, the “Parade of Planets” was on brilliant display.

In the southwestern sky, magnificent Venus shone brightly while fainter Saturn moved closer for their celestial meeting. As an unexpected treat, the zodiacal light made a remarkable appearance to enhance an already breathtaking vista.

Following the parade of planets towards the east, Jupiter was next, shining brightly amidst the stars of Taurus the Bull and the Pleiades.

At the conclusion of the planet spectacle was bright, reddish-orange Mars, rising in the east along the horizon. Mars was at opposition — directly opposite the sun — on Wednesday night.

This red planet was aligned with the two most luminous stars in Gemini, the twins — Castor and Pollux — presenting a captivating scene of the trio together.

All my photographs were captured using an iPhone Pro Max 15 with no alterations made. They are unedited and go straight from the sky to you.

I hope you find the opportunity to venture outside and witness the “planetary parade” for yourself, as it is quite impressive to observe four of the five visible planets from horizon to horizon. Mercury, the fifth visible planet, can be seen in the predawn sky.

Follow Greg Redfern on Facebook, Bluesky and his daily blog to stay updated with the latest happenings in astronomy and space exploration

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