The night sky was in full bloom last night, with Venus, Mars, Uranus and the crescent moon all visible.
Daily Echo photographer, Sam Sheldon has taken this stunning photograph of the celestial trio.
Formally known as the Dance of the Planets, this astronomical occurrence is relatively rare, and the planets of Venus and Mars actually haven’t appeared as close together in the sky (as they will tonight and tomorrow) since 2008.
The reason for the phenomenon is Venus is moving gradually higher in the sky after sunset during February and March, passing closer to Mars, before passing very close to Uranus in early March.
Venus and the moon will be the brightest objects in the sky, but the reddish presence of Mars should be fairly visible as well. Uranus can occasionally be seen as a very dim ‘star’ with the naked eye- but binoculars will make spotting it easier.
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