When the planets align

Mars at its brightest on Thursday night
While eight planets can be seen in the night sky this month, the Geminids meteor shower reaches its annual peak on 14 and 15 December.
Elvira Hattingh
    - 2022-12-07 11:11:00
If the night sky is clear and free of dust, it will be possible to see all eight planets from tomorrow until the end of the year, with Jupiter and Mars in particular shining exceptionally bright.
The Namibia Scientific Society said in their latest newsletter that Mercury and Venus will be the most difficult to see and recommend that they be looked for on 23 December just above the horizon, shortly after sunset.
According to a map released by the society of Windhoek's night sky on 15 December, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury will be visible then. Also, Mars reaches opposition tomorrow night, meaning the sun and the red planet will be on either side of Earth. This is the “nearest” Mars will be to Earth in more than two years, although it will still be more than 62 million kilometres from Earth.
Mars currently appears as a bright orange spot in the night sky and even its darker spots will be visible with the aid of a medium-strength telescope.
The last time Mars was this bright was in October 2020.
It’s also full moon tomorrow night.
Jupiter is one of the easiest planets to spot and, along with Mars, brighter than almost all other stars in the sky. Jupiter's closest four moons and even the faint streaks on its surface can usually be seen with a smaller telescope and even binoculars.
Saturn and Uranus will test your spotting ability a little more, with Saturn setting before midnight and Uranus rising before sunset and lingering until just after 04:00.
The best time to see Saturn is as soon as it is dark enough. Venus, which usually shines brightly in our night sky, is shy tomorrow evening and will already set at 20:17 and only rise again at 06:47.
The Geminids meteor shower also reaches its annual peak on 14 and 15 December, and is widely regarded as one of the best meteor showers. Additional sources: timeanddate.com, earthsky.org