A Rare Five Planet Alignment Is Happening This Month And Here’s How To See it

Skywatchers are in for a treat this month, as five planets will align in the early morning sky. In addition to the five planets, the Moon will be joining the party at the end of the month.

April provided amateur astronomers with the opportunity to see four planets aligned in the early morning sky without the need for a telescope or a pair of binoculars. Jupiter, Venus, Mars, and Saturn all made an appearance in the morning sky, with the Moon joining on April 23rd. If four planets aligning was not enough for you, the end of June will provide a parade of five planets, with the Moon once again joining in.

Those of you who were fortunate enough to be up early on the mornings of June 3rd and 4th, may have noticed the five planets high in the sky. Unlike the spectacle in April, you probably needed at least a pair of binoculars to view Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, in that order. Mercury would have been the hardest to spot, needing an unobstructed view of the eastern horizon, according to Sky & Telescope.

The morning of June 24th will perhaps provide the most opportune time to view the spectacle, with Mercury being easier to view. You will need to be in place and ready to view the planetary procession, because there will only be about an hour from the time Mercury rises above the horizon, til the Sun dominates the sky once again. The waning crescent Moon will also be falling in line, being located between Venus and Mars. At this point the planets will spread further across the sky, with the distance between Mercury and Saturn being 107 degrees.

If it happens to be cloudy on the days noted, you will still be able to view all five planets between June 3rd and June 24th. You just need to make sure you wake up early enough, so be sure to set those alarms.

Top Image Credit: Pixabay/floms