Five Planets Have Aligned In A Rare Occurrence After 18 Years, Will Be Visible To Naked Eye In June

A rare celestial event can be witnessed by one and all throughout the month of June. Just before the sun rises, five planets will align in the night sky in rare conjunction.

According to Sky & Telescope, Mercury, Venus, Mars Jupiter and Saturn will stretch across the sky from low in the east to higher in the south in that exact order. The best part about this occurrence is that one can see it with their naked eyes. They can be seen without the assistance of binoculars or telescopes.

Sky and Telescope

Generally, two or three planets come together and it is called a conjuncture. However, the alignment of five planets is quite rare. The last time, these five planets aligned in this order was in December 2004.

To witness this alignment in its entirety will require you to start early as Mercury, which is closest to the Sun, vanishes as the Sun rises. Find a high ground for an unobstructed view and look towards the eastern horizon before the sunrise.

While they will appear in this formation all through the month, it could be difficult to see them on all days. On some dates, however, the alignment will be in its full glory. The first of these days was June 3 and June 4.

Sky & Telescope

The next time the planets will be clearly visible in full alignment is on June 24th. The five planets will be visible for a longer duration (almost an hour), this morning, and Mercury will be easier to spot as it rises in the sky and brightens. Also, the parade will be joined by a guest, a crescent Moon placed between Venus and Mars.

Prof Beth Biller, personal chair of exoplanet characterisation at Edinburgh University's Institute for astronomy, told The Guardian, ¡°We now know of many other stars hosting multiple planets. This is a rare opportunity to see the same thing closer to home, with all five ¡®naked eye' planets in our solar system visible at once.¡±

Space

However, if you think the weather has gotten cloudy, you still have all the mornings in between to take in the view of the five naked-eye planets adorning the southeastern horizon. Just make sure you set your alarm and wake up on time.

H/T: Sky & Telescope

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