Stargazing Three Planets: Where And When To See Mercury Venus And Jupiter 'Conjunct' In The Night Sky [VIDEO]

Three planets in the Milky Way will be seemingly shifting slightly closer to each other in prominent positions in the night sky. Beginning Friday, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter will be visible in the northwest sky. According to National Geographic, as the planets move closer together in Earthlings' view over three nights, which is the case this weekend, it is called a triple planet conjunction.

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Proximity and size do a lot to make stars prominent in the sky. Few cannot distinguish the Sun, our closest star, from others. Jupiter is an immense planet, and the other two are very close to Earth; both less than 150 million miles away.

Venus, the closest of the three, will also reportedly be the brightest. Using Venus as a guide, Mercury and Jupiter will be distinguishable less than five degrees nearby, from the millions of stars of all lusters that surround the Earth; from Polaris to Betelgeuse.

Each night, until May 27, the planets will converge on one another. After Monday night, when Jupiter and Venus will appear as planetary twins, Mercury will begin to rise and Jupiter will begin to set away from Venus, which will continue to be prominent from that vantage point for the rest of the year.

This meeting of three planets from the human perspective coincides with a minor eclipse of the moon, that many Americans will be able to witness.