If you are a stargazer and like to know all things astronomy, it is going to be a treat for you tomorrow.?
That's right! Seven planets namely?Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus will align beginning June 24, the first conjunction of this scale. This is a rare occurrence and it's happening after 18 years.?
The rare planet alignment will feature a total of seven planets.The best time to watch is about half an hour before sunrise between June 24 and 27. Five of the main planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn ¨C will be visible to the naked eye so it may appear that only five planets are aligning. Across the sky, they will span from the east to the south. Although, in the southern latitude they will span from north to east.
However, Uranus and Neptune may not be visible to the naked eyes but one can check these planets out with the help of aids such as binoculars or a telescope by around June 27.?
These planets have not been aligned since December 2004.?At the start of the day on June 24, Uranus will be 6 degrees east of the Moon in Aries, shining at a magnitude 5.9.
Neptune is 11.5 degrees west of Jupiter and magnitude 7.8 away in western Pisces.??
Amateur astronomer?Kevin Walsh talked to The Sun about how to catch this rare alignment. He said,?"If you look due East about 45 minutes before sunrise on June 24 you will be able to see this phenomenon," he said.?
"For those in the North East of the UK, this will be around 3:30 a.m, and the South West around 4:00 a.m."Mercury will appear closest to the horizon around East North East and we will have around 30-40 minutes of visibility before Twilight interferes. Saturn will appear in the sky towards the South East."
According to him, this exact rare occurrence will next be visible in September 2040. He even urged stargazers to pick a high vantage point and wrap up warm for the best experience.
"For most people, a good vantage point should offer a view of the horizon in the East to see the rise of Mercury," he said.?
"If you can, try to get out of the city centre the tall buildings and street lighting will interfere with your star gazing, even heading to a local park or playing field will offer a better vantage point. Remember to dress appropriately even though it is summer it can be quite chilly at 3:00 a.m."
If you are someone who is at a place which has poor weather conditions or has light pollution, you can still watch this occurrence.?The Virtual Telescope Project is live-streaming the conjunction as seen through a telescope positioned in Rome. This means you can watch this from home without doing a lot of hard work.?
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