Venus Rising over Paris

At 7:25 this morning, seen from our 4th floor apartment in Paris 13e.  We also saw Saturn and Mars, which makes three of the five planets that are currently aligned in the early morning sky.  Mercury would be below and to the left of Venus, surely blocked by the buildings--and it is relatively quite faint and thus difficult to see at any time.  Jupiter was well out of sight to the right (west), around the corner of our building.  A key factor is that the moon is still 70% full and thus still brightens the urban sky, making even bright stars more difficult to see. By a week or so  from now the moon will be much less bright and this wonderful planetary array will be easier to see. 

Anyone reading this who has a clear eastern horizon and few or no urban lights around should really get out and enjoy this rare convergence.  It's around through February 20th, though best through about the 7th.   Good luck!