A Must Watch Planets Collision this Weekend

Stargazers should get ready for a celestial show this weekend, when Mercury, Venus and Saturn are lining up on their never ending trip around the sun.

Such an event is so rare that the last time the same three planets got into a similar huddle was on April 7, 1848.

"They’ll look like they’re all smooching together and going to smash into each other but it’s not going to happen, thank goodness," Horkheimer said.

In reality, the three planets are slightly staggered and millions of miles apart. But the orbits are such that from our vantage point, they’ll be just one-tenth of one degree apart.

On Monday, two of the three will actually appear to merge.

"Mercury and Venus will be so close together, some people may actually think they’re blending into one star," Horkheimer said. "If you don’t see it now, you’re going to have to wait for 65 years. It won’t happen again until 2070."

Venus, the closest planet, will burn the brightest, followed by Mercury, which will sit to the lower right of Venus, said astronomy buff Laurie Reed, a Saginaw Valley State University physics lecturer.

Saturn, the dimmest planet, appears on the lower left, added Reed, who has a master’s degree in astronomy.

It is the best "trio" of planets we’ll see until 2030, according to Sky and Telescope magazine.

While the planets may appear close from our vantage point, they’re not, said Garry Beckstrom, manager of the Delta College Planetarium in Bay City.