Coming to the sky near you, three planets and a moon

During the pre-dawn of February 23, even the naked eye will be able to see a crescent moon and glowing Jupiter, orange-tinged Mercury and reddish Mars huddling together.

"The spectacular scene will be visible across the country," astronomer Worawit Tanwuthibandit said yesterday.

He said the crescent moon and three other bright planets will form the conjunction at 5.14am on February 23.

"About 20 minutes later, the moon will gradually shield Jupiter in what is called an occultation," Worawit said.

In recent times, Thais have enjoyed a number of celestial displays. Last month, a crescent moon and two other stars painted a smiley face in the sky - much to the delight of people nationwide.

Earlier this week, there was also a partial solar eclipse.