Jupiter, which has been shining brightly for months, and has been visible with both binoculars and the naked eye, will sit in the highest position of this stellar skewer.

Between May 18th and 20th when it lines up with Venus and Mercury, one will find our solar system's largest planet in the western sky near the twin stars of Pollux and Castor, also known as Gemini.

Roughly one-third the way up from the western horizon to the top of the sky, the weak moon will permit dazzling views of Jupiter with a telescope, in which the planet's cloud pattern and satellites like Io and Ganymede will be visible.

Lower in the western sky will be Venus, shining some 700% brighter than far away Jupiter. On May 18th, it will be positioned slightly higher and to the left of a slender crescent Moon.

Space.com's Joe Rao writes of Venus that even with the naked eye, reflections of light off the Earth—known as Earthshine, "will make the view seem almost three-dimensional."

All of this will be best viewed between sunset and midnight, meaning that one doesn't even have to ruin their sleep schedule to enjoy the celestial show.