Stargazers can witness a rare alignment of six planets on June 3, best seen before sunrise from dark, elevated locations. (Artist’s illustration of 6 planets in the sky.) Credit: SciTechDaily.com
On June 3, there was an alignment of six planets – Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uraniumand Neptune—will be visible shortly before sunrise from dark, high vantage points with minimal light pollution. This rare event requires optical aids to view all the planets.
Astronomers will have an incredible opportunity to look for six planets in Earth’s solar system on June 3. Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune will emerge from some dark, weatherless places on Earth and form a more-or-less straight line across the night sky—but seeing them all will require some optical assistance.
The alignment is a bit of an illusion, astronomers are quick to point out that each planet’s orbits around the Sun are very different. However, the unusual layout could be really fascinating – if the local weather doesn’t get in the way.
The best times and places to watch
A planetary alignment is likely to be most visible 30-60 minutes before sunrise, looking east from a dark, high point with minimal light pollution and an unobstructed view of the entire horizon.
“If you were somewhere in space other than Earth, these planets wouldn’t appear to be aligned at all,” said Dr. Alphonse Sterling, astrophysicist NASAMarshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “It’s not unusual to see two or three lined up, but to have six lined up like that is unusual.”
Astronomers and stargazers around the world should check out the “planetary parade” before dawn on June 3, a loose arrangement of our six neighboring worlds: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus — though the last two will require a high-powered telescope or binoculars. Credit: NASA/Night Sky Network
View tips for planetary alignment
Mars and Saturn will be identifiable with the naked eye, and Mercury and Jupiter may also be spotted near the horizon. However, adding Neptune and Uranus to the lineup will require the use of binoculars or a high-powered telescope.
“You can see it pretty much anywhere that doesn’t have a ton of light pollution,” Sterling said. “You need a clear view to the east. Jupiter and Mercury join last, rising just above the horizon. You won’t see six bright dots in a row. Under the best circumstances, you can see Jupiter, Mercury and Mars and Saturn. For others, you’ll need binoculars or binoculars.’
Future opportunities and rare connections
The alignment of the six planets rarely occurs, depending on the orbit and position of each planet as seen from Earth. After all, we can expect additional performance this year. The same rough alignment of the six planets could be visible in the pre-dawn hours of August 28 and again on January 18, 2025.
This is certainly more common than a complete planetary alignment, in which all eight planets in our solar system would appear to fall into an approximate formation on the same side of the Sun. Given all the factors involved, including the orbital plane, speed and distance of each planet, estimates suggest it would take more than 300 billion years for this to happen just once.
That’s longer than the estimated lifetime of our parent star, so don’t expect anything.
Recent skywatching highlights
Planetary alignments are the last recent sky-watching event to feature them in abundance. Space enthusiasts enjoyed a total solar eclipse on April 8 and a rare sighting of the aurora borealis over parts of the continental United States in May — the result of an unusually large geomagnetic storm.