Planet Parade over Sydney Opera House

Explanation: The world is waking up to a picturesque planet parade. Just before dawn, the eastern skies over much of planet Earth are decorated by a notable line of familiar planets. In much of Earth's northern hemisphere, this line of planets appears most nearly horizontal , but in much of Earth's southern hemisphere , the line appears more nearly vertical. Pictured over the Sydney Opera House in southern Australia , the planet line was captured nearly vertical about five days ago. From top to bottom, the morning planets are Saturn , Mars , Venus , and Jupiter . As April ends, the angular distance between Venus and Jupiter will gradually pass below a degree as they switch places. Then, as May ends, Jupiter will pass near Mars as those two planets switch places . In June, the parade will briefly expand to include Mercury.

Notable Submissions to APOD: Morning Planet Parade 2022