String of Planets at Sunrise

The planets appear strung out in a line in the morning sky in January and February. As twilight yields to sunrise, the fainter planets will disappear in the brightness. Mercury, closest to the sun, is always a challenge to see. Moving right of the sun, or from southeast to west, are elusive Mercury, bright Venus, ringed Saturn, reddish Mars, and giant Jupiter. Toward the end of the January, the waning moon enters the scene as well. Enjoy the alignment of planets, for the length of winter nights in the northern hemisphere is getting shorter.