5 Planets Take Center Stage as They Align in the Night Sky

A breathtaking glimpse of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn as they align in planetary order will be possible on June 24 thanks to a rare, five-planet alignment. According to Diana Hannikainen, observing editor of Sky & Telescope, the event started at the beginning of June and has gotten brighter and simpler to spot as the month has gone on.

On Friday, another celestial object will join the celebration between Venus and Mars: a declining crescent moon. The moon will stand in for the Earth’s relative location in the alignment, which indicates the place of our planet in the planetary hierarchy. According to Sky & Telescope, this unusual event won’t happen this year since Mercury and Saturn are closer together than they were in 2004. To see the amazing phenomena, observers will require a clean view of the eastern horizon, according to Hannikainen.

The planetary spectacle may be seen by anyone without glasses, but for the best viewing, she suggested using binoculars. She said that the hour before sunrise is the optimum time to see the five planets. Check when the sun will rise in your location the night before you intend to see the alignment.

Hannikainen and other astronomers are particularly looking forward to the celestial event. To have the best view of the alignment, she flew from her house west of Boston to a seaside hamlet along the Atlantic Ocean. In the hopes that it would be clear, Hannikainen stated, “I’ll be out there with my binoculars, looking towards the east and southeast.