Washington, United States

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Skywatchers in North America and some regions of South America will see Mercury, Mars and Venus line up in the sky on Tuesday morning. 

On Tuesday (Jan 9), a thin crescent moon, less than five per cent illuminated, will gather in the sky with three of our planet's closest neighbours in the solar system. Venus, out of the three planets, will shine the brightest during the morning twilight. 

Mars will be less visible, requiring binoculars to see it near the horizon in the morning. Meanwhile, Mercury will be bright at around magnitude zero. 

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In areas with low light pollution, it would be possible to have an unobstructed view of the horizon. At such places, one can view this gathering of planets without an optical aid. 

Venus would be the first to rise around 2.5 hours before the sunrise. To locate the evening star, find the brightly shining pale yellow planet in the early morning sky in the southeast direction. 

Mercury will rise roughly an hour after Venus, appearing on the Moon's left. Half an hour before sunrise, Mars will be visible above the horizon. 

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On Monday (Jan 8), Mercury reached its highest point in the morning sky, elevating to some 16 degrees above the southeastern sky.

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The innermost planet also reached the greatest elongation from the Sun on the same day. For skywatchers, it is the right opportunity to catch sight of the elusive planet, which only appears a few weeks a year during the greatest elongation. 

Furthermore, like Mercury, Mars is elusive this time of the year, as it will not rise high above the horizon. Even on Tuesday (Jan 9), it would be hard to spot the red planet, as it will be less than ten degrees above the horizon. 

However, Venus will be a beacon in the morning sky until it fades from the Northern Hemisphere's southern latitudes around May 2024. It will reappear as an evening apparition in June 2024. 

While using binoculars or a telescope to observe the trio of these planets alongside Earth's Moon, never look in the rising Sun's direction through an optical aid or with the naked eye. 

The planets will appear close to where the Sun will be rising. Avoid risking damage to your eyes and check sunrise timings in your area. 

(With inputs from agencies)