Stargazers are in for a treat this winter with the four brightest planets in the solar system lining up for easy observation from southern skies.
Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and Venus can all be seen clearly from New Zealand, due to those planets being lined up with both Earth and the sun at the same time.
Simon Lewis from Canterbury Astronomical Society described it as a "planet fest".
"The alignment of the planets with both the sun and the earth make the planets very big and bright, as they’re closest to the earth. Which means for us, they’re very large in the sky. So we get a good look at the them!" Mr Lewis said.
Hundreds have been viewing the solar system from the West Melton observatory over the school holidays , with the Kidsfest programme offering nightly tours. Mr Lewis said the reaction from the public has been incredible.
"They look through the eye piece, and the first thing they say is 'wow! This is amazing!'".
He said there's even more solar system magic to come with Neptune and Mercury lining for prime viewing position too.
"There’ll be even more of a wow factor coming in the next week, that’ll mean we have six planets in the sky all at the once time. Which is very unusual."
Severe dust storms on Mars have obscured some views this week, but a spectacular Saturn had the crowds thrilled.
Primary schoolboy Brent Cameron said it exceeded his expectations: "I expected it to be a grey wonderful thing. Around 8000 miles wide, with spherical moons that can be seen near the edges of Saturn's rings."
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