COLUMBUS, Ohio — Early risers will be able to see all the planets in the morning but Mercury will be getting lower and lower in the sky each morning so try to get out early in the week.
All the planets will stretch across the horizon but you’ll need an optical aid to see Uranus and Neptune. Look in the east before sunrise.
Earth reaches something known as aphelion just after 3 a.m. on Monday morning. That is when our planet will be approximately 94.5 million miles from the sun.
This is Earth’s farthest point from the sun in its orbit. This also underscores the fact that the Earth’s axial tilt, not its distance from the sun, controls the march of the seasons.
Look for a First Quarter Moon on Wednesday. It’ll officially arrive at 10:14 p.m. in the evening. Moonset isn’t until after midnight in Columbus so you’ll be able to find the half moon in the evening.
Happy hunting!