Six planets planets visible during the eclipse
With Earth and the Moon currently on one side of the solar system and the rest of the solar system current on the other side, each of the six naked-eye visible planets will be visible, strung out across the sky during the total solar eclipse on April 8.
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Those in the path of totality will also be able to see each of the naked-eye visible planets lined up around the eclipsed Sun on April 8, 2024.
Jupiter (bright), Mercury (dimmer and up a bit from the line), the Sun, Venus (even brighter), and then dimmer Saturn and orangey Mars will be lined up across the western sky.
We haven't seen much of theses planets recently because each has been in the daytime sky for a few weeks or more. But as day turns to night, the lineup of planets will appear.
It may also be possible to see Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks during totality. This a ‘Halley-type’ comet has an orbital period of roughly 71 years and a nucleus approximately 19 miles wide.
This comet has been growing brighter as it draw closer to the Sun. The Sun heats the surface of the comet causing it to eject gas and dust which forms the distinctive tail. That tail has been glowing green in photographs, a sign that the comet may be rich in carbon. Astronomers refer to comets as "big dirty snowballs" and their cousin asteroids as "big icy dirt balls".
The comet is expected to grow brighter as it draws closer to the Sun. It will be at its closest to the Sun, a point astronomers call perihelion, on April 21. Between now and then, if you've got a clear view of the western sky, and are away from light pollution, look just above the horizon beginning 45 minutes after sunset for the comet. It will like a faint smudge. The earlier you are able to see it, the brighter it will appear because as it sets, you are looking through more atmosphere.
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