Almost 500 people, including more than 100 children, queued from 5am at the Science Centre's observatory yesterday to get a clearer view of the alignment of five planets.

Through powerful telescopes, they were able to see Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Venus and Mercury.

The session ended at 7am when it became too bright to see the planets. It was the first time in a decade that the five planets have appeared together in the sky.

They will be visible during pre-dawn hours until the end of the month from locations with an unobstructed view of the sky, such as East Coast Park.

The Science Centre says the astronomical alignment is likely to occur again in August. After then, according to Britain's Royal Astrological Society, the five planets will not be seen together again until October 2018.