NASA expert talks about upcoming space events

Four planets are visible in the early morning sky through the end of April.

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – There’s rarely ever a lull in things to see in the night sky. From the International Space Station, to the latest meteor showers, to planets that look like stars. Tony Rice, Ambassador at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, stopped by 7@four to discuss several events happening in the night sky in the coming weeks. Here are a few things to look out for.

4 PLANETS VISIBLE

For those early-risers, there’s a special treat to see 45 minutes before sunrise through the end of April. Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn will be visible just before sunrise in the southeastern sky. No binoculars needed, although, Mars will be quite faint. All will be low on the horizon, so seeing them from extremely deep valley locations will require being patient until they are far enough above the horizon just before sunrise.

DATES	TIME	VISIBLE	QUALITY
Through the end of April	Approx: 5:00 AM until Sunrise	Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Saturn	Easy for all observers. Depends on cloud conditions.

TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE – MAY 15-16

In May, we’re treated to another Total Lunar Eclipse. This is when the moon entirely enters the Earth’s shadow, and depending on what’s in the atmosphere at the time, the moon can have an orange tint. A total lunar eclipse is completely safe to view and it’s not extremely late at night either, entering totality just after midnight on May 16th.

Here’s a look at the times below. Again, this should be a great viewing as long as the weather cooperates.