Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus and Mercury as seen from Halifax waterfront

During a perfect pre-sunrise morning on Thursday, a rare planetary show is displayed in the sky — Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus and Mercury can be all seen at once. 

It's so cold, we can see our breath. There's no wind. But most importantly, there are no clouds in the sky. 

I am meeting with planetary buff Dave Chapman from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada on the Halifax waterfront to sky gaze.

He has his telescope and binoculars set up on tripods, but the best part of this celestial event is the five planets can be seen with the naked eye.

"It might be early, but it's worth it," Chapman said. 

A celestial show to behold

The dark sky is indeed magical.  

"For the first time in 10 years, you can see these five planets at one time and the moon is there as a bonus," Chapman said.

On Thursday morning, weather conditions were great for planet viewing. Chapman quickly started pointing out the planets. 

"Over here in the west, it's Jupiter next to the moon. Up here, we have Mars," Chapman noted.

"Then down over here is the planet Saturn and then the brilliant Venus, which is hard to miss. And then as you get closer to the horizon, as the sun is coming up, you have the planet Mercury."

Mercury appeared just over the trees of McNabs Island.

Astronomers are excited because the event is rare — due to the time it takes for each planet to orbit the sun.

Saturn, the furthest of the five planets, takes 29 years for solar orbit. Mercury takes only 88 days.

For the next couple of weeks, prime viewing for the show is just before the sun rises. You need a cloudless night and in order to catch Mercury, you need to get up before the sun rises.

Smartphone apps like SkySafari will explain what you are looking at. For Chapman, the show never gets old.

"I like to see the solar system play out, it's always fresh. It just doesn't get any better than this."

The next time these five planets line up isn't until July 2020.