From sundown tonight, five planets will be aligned with the moon in Aotearoa's sky - a sight that's even better with the right conditions and equipment.
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will be visibly aligned with the Earth's lunar neighbour from around 7.30pm, just after sundown at 7.23pm.
Most of the country is likely to see some cloud coverage or rainfall this evening, NIWA Weather and MetService indicating the most clear skies will be in the lower North Island and along the east coast of the South Island, as well as in Nelson, Marlborough and the Chatham Islands.
For those wanting to get the full planetary experience, Stardome Observatory Astronomer Rob Davison said sky watchers should look for elevated ground and must have a clear view of the western horizon.
"You'll need a telescope to see all five planets... a pair of binoculars might even work as well," he said.
The window to see all six celestial objects together is fairly small, Davison estimating a viewing window of only 20 minutes, ending just before 8pm.
By that time, Jupiter and Mercury will follow the sun and slip under the horizon.
Davison said the phenomenon is still possible to view with the naked eye, but Venus, Mars and the moon may be the only visible highlights that way.
"Jupiter and Mercury will be the closest to the horizon and will be hard to see as the sun goes down," he said. "Uranus is the furthest away and is almost always only visible with a telescope."
The five planets will maintain some level of visibility and alignment for the next few nights, but Davison said tonight will have the "best view" and will be the only night where the moon joins the planetary parade.
He also said to not worry if it's too overcast, as "planetary alignments are fairly frequent, and viewers will have plenty more opportunities in the not-too-distant future".
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