It will be a starry line-up, literally. No Bollywood or Tollywood here, but the real thing. Between March 22 and April 6, Calcuttans gazing up at the night sky should be able to spy five planets in a single row.

In a rare planetary conjunction, the famous five that can be seen with the naked eye (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter) will be visible all at once. This is the best time, say city astronomers, for some backyard stargazing.

The five planets will fall in line for the first time since January 2002, with the next sightings scheduled for August 2008 and July 2016.

To spot the planets, one needs to look at the western horizon after 6.45 pm. Venus will shine the brightest, followed by Mercury (in the news last year for its transit across the face of the sun) and then the others, all in one line.

“This happens because all the planets orbit the sun in the same plane,” explained Debiprosad Duari, director, research & academics, MP Birla Planetarium. “Due to our relative position, we will be seeing the planets edge-on.” (Graphic courtesy planetarium)

The moon will flit past each of the planets as it orbits the earth, and can, thus, be used to identify the five to watch out for.

On March 22, the moon will be two-thirds between Venus and Mercury, halfway between the two on March 23 and very close to Venus on March 24. On March 25, it will be very close to Mars, midway between Venus and Saturn on March 26, a little above Saturn on March 28 and close to Jupiter on April 2.

Those in the eastern part of the country can watch the show as long as it’s a clear sky. But Mercury, close to the western horizon, will be visible only till 7 pm, since it ‘sets’ after that.

Telescopes are not required, though binoculars will greatly improve the viewing experience when the moon is near a planet, said MP Birla Planetarium.

Astrologers consider this kind of an alignment either “very holy” or “truly unholy”.