Six planets to light up Lankan skies before dawn

Six planets are expected to form a spectacular arc across the eastern and southern skies over Sri Lanka before sunrise this Wednesday (12), offering stargazers a rare celestial treat, the astronomy division of the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies said.

Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune will appear in what astronomers describe as a “planet parade”, creating a notable alignment visible from Sri Lanka in the early hours of the morning.

Four of the six planets — Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn — should be visible to the naked eye, while binoculars will be needed to spot Uranus and a telescope will be required to observe Neptune.

The best opportunity to witness the planetary display will be between 60 and 90 minutes before sunrise, with observers advised to scan the sky from the eastern horizon towards the south.

As the Sun is expected to rise in Colombo at around 6 am during mid-August, the ideal viewing period will be approximately 4.30 am to 5.15 am.

Mars and Saturn should be relatively easy to identify, while Mercury and Jupiter, appearing low on the eastern horizon, could prove more difficult to see as dawn approaches.

The Institute said Sri Lanka’s location close to the equator provides favourable conditions for observing the planetary alignment.

Adding further excitement to the spectacle, the Perseid meteor shower is also expected to reach its peak during the same period, from the night of August 12 into the early hours of August 13.

The Perseids are produced by debris left behind by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which was discovered in 1862 and takes approximately 133 years to complete an orbit around the Sun. The meteors appear to originate from the direction of the Perseus constellation.

This year’s Perseid peak is expected to coincide with a new moon, creating darker skies and particularly favourable conditions for meteor-watchers.

Under clear skies, observers could see up to 100 meteors an hour, according to astronomical estimates.

For the best chance of seeing the Perseids, stargazers are advised to look towards the northeastern sky after midnight on August 12 and 13, and to allow around 20 to 30 minutes for their eyes to adjust to the darkness.

The combination of the planetary alignment and the Perseid meteor shower could make the pre-dawn skies over Sri Lanka particularly spectacular this week.