Stargazers can witness a rare alignment of six planets on June 3, best viewed before sunrise from dark, elevated locations. (Artist’s illustration of 6 planets in the sky.) Credit: SciTechDaily.com
On June 3, an alignment of six planets—Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and 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 planets.
Stargazers 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 appear, from some dark, weather-free vantage points on Earth, to form a more-or-less straight line in the night sky – but it’ll take some optical assistance to see them all.
The alignment is a bit of an illusion, astronomers are quick to point out, given the widely varying elliptical path of each planet’s orbit around the Sun. But the uncommon arrangement could prove captivating indeed – if local weather does not interfere.
Best Viewing Times and Locations
The planetary alignment is likely to be most visible 30-60 minutes before sunrise, looking east from a dark, high vantage point with minimal light pollution and an unobstructed view of the complete horizon.
“If you were somewhere out in space other than on Earth, these planets would not appear aligned at all,” said Dr. Alphonse Sterling, astrophysicist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “It is not unusual to see two or three lined up, but to have six of them line up like this is uncommon.”
Astronomers and stargazers around the world should be on the lookout before dawn on June 3 for a “planetary parade,” a loose alignment of six of our neighboring worlds: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus – though the latter two will require high-powered binoculars or a telescope to spot. Credit: NASA/Night Sky Network
Viewing Tips for the Planetary Alignment
Mars and Saturn will be identifiable with the naked eye, and Mercury and Jupiter may also be spotted close to the horizon. To add Neptune and Uranus to the lineup, however, will require the use of a telescope or high-powered binoculars.
“You can see it basically anywhere there isn’t a ton of light pollution,” Sterling said. “You just need a clear view looking east. Jupiter and Mercury will be the last to join, rising just above the horizon. You won’t see six bright dots lined up. In the best circumstances, you can see Jupiter, Mercury and Mars and Saturn. You’ll need binoculars or a telescope for the others.”
Future Opportunities and Rare Alignments
Alignments of six planets happen infrequently, depending on the orbit and position of each planet as seen from Earth. Indeed, we may see an encore performance later this year. The same rough alignment of six planets could be visible in the pre-dawn hours of August 28 and again on January 18, 2025.
That’s certainly more common than a full planetary alignment, in which all eight planets in our solar system would appear to fall into 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 to happen just once.
That’s longer than the estimated lifetime of our parent star, so don’t wait up.
Recent Skywatching Highlights
The planetary alignment is the latest skywatching event in a recent period rife with them. Space enthusiasts enjoyed a total solar eclipse on April 8 and a rare sighting in May of the aurora borealis over parts of the continental United States – the result of an uncommonly large geomagnetic storm.
Ummm…NASA calls this a hoax since 4 of the 6 planets won’t be visible.
And it’s posted a day after….good job yahoo
fake news
Kids get your telescopes out before heading to school. Try to spot all six planets.
“The best moon is our “Blood Moon,” It’s our reflection of shadows and conjuring demons…
The first and last time I was able to see the Alignment of the Pkanets was in1991 or1992 it was.phenomenal the work of his hands
Yes indeed. Hallelujah Adonai ve Yeshua 🙌
“The Harmonic Convergence” it was called
Welcome to the world fellow 6 planet stellium baby. ^_^
Capricorn in Sun, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Uranus and Neptune.
Actually it’s a 4 planet Stellium on June 3rd.
Gemini in Sun, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter. ^_^
The article mentions that there are eight planets in our system. Yes, that’s the official number. Several years ago the International Astronomical Union (IAU) demoted Pluto’s status as a planet, so now there are eight recognized planets instead of nine. This decision made no sense. Pluto has all the attributes of a planet, albeit a small one. But a dwarf planet is still a planet, just as a dwarf star is still considered a star. This inconsistency needs to be rectified.
Pluto was demoted because there were other similar dwarf planets in the Kuiper belt. Pluto is the largest, but not by much. Should all dwarf planets be counted? That would really boost the planet count.
I realize that there are quite a few more dwarf planets beyond Pluto in the Kuiper belt. I suppose that at some point a minimum size criteria might need to be established (otherwise the asteroid Ceres could qualify as dwarf planet). But I think Pluto should be restored to its previous status. It is spherical and has a relatively large moon. And if we have to start counting other Kuiper belt objects as planets, well, I’m OK with that.
There are multiple obvious reasons for categorizing the eight major planets together. Eliminating their distinction by including all the maby minor planets (with more to be found) utterly ruins the whole purpose of having the category. What would you suggest next, eliminating the distinction between moons and planets?
If you go back and read my second comment you will see I did suggest a minimum criteria could be used for some objects, thus Pluto and even Eris would qualify as planets, but it could still exclude the category of minor planets (asteroids) like Ceres. When Eris was discovered even NASA hailed it as the “tenth planet”. Only then did some members of the IAU decide that the status of Pluto and any other planets beyond it need to change. From 1930 to 2006 the IAU had no problem calling Pluto a planet.
No one is suggesting that there be an elimination of the distinction between planets and the moons of planets. The fact that Pluto has five of its own moons, including the relatively large one named Charon, does give some support to its designation as a planet. And by the way, even in the astronomical community the IAU’s decision to demote Pluto’s status as a planet was not accepted by everyone.
What does this mean?suffereth every witch, warlock, wizard to perish. Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their father…
Bruh, the Creator made the heavens and our eyes to witness them.
Just because some modern pagans and witches get wet over this kind of astronomical phenomena, it in no way has nothing to do with that verse you mentioned.
I mean, Creator did put the big light and little light in the sky.
JS
Whose “creator(s)”? Which one(s)? Your self-centered religious “truth” is no more true anyone else’s.
Dear Mr. Lee your commentary is very informative.Keep up the good informative information.
Once we complete life we all start from our own beginning and do it all over again.
Why so many negative comments ? I shall be up and about pre dawn so I shall have my binoculars handy just in case the weather permits a sighting of this event
Does this have anything to do with “MomaGeadon”…
If the universe did not want us here. We would have already been gone..
“The universe” is not a person. And Adonai Eloheinu is. So His will be done. If we’re here, we’re here. If not we’re in Eternity. With Him or without Him, your choice.
If the universe did not want us here.. we would already be gone…!
It’s nice to know with all the unimportant items in news today, like middle east war, global warming, assault on democracy by 34 miles a fellon, there are folks paying attetion to important things like designation of our ninth planet. Thank you all for that.
Our brains need a rest from the constant barrage of bad news. A heightened state of impotent rage will not change the state of our planet. The Universe provides us with a broader perspective.
And exactly what can you do about any of it?
The article was about a planetary alignment and which planets could be visible. My comment, and the comments of the others, were hardly off topic. If you think that all the mayhem and troubles in the world require constant attention, then why do you bother to visit this website?
I miss you. Maxim my dear friend
Hoping your doing great.Keep informing the nation.
Fake, everytime they do this type of stuff people start talking and then it comes out that it was all orchestrated and someone gets in trouble for lying and being manipulative. Better more product ways to use this type of creativity. The right way or marathon way. But get the short lived fame for all your lies. 💯
Total solar eclipse, aurora borealis, planetary alignment, another aurora borealis, two more planetary alignments, a supernova, another solar eclipse…
…one might think God our creator is saying “Look up!”
I agree and believe that HE IS trying to get our attention. Since it is said that HE works in mysterious ways, for God’s sake, for humanity’s sake, we NEED to listen before it’s too late.
P.S.: I am NOT an alarmist. I’m a realist, and I REALLY feel that it’s time we start growing from within. Take responsibility as a whole, for the crimes against each other, ALL of God’s creatures as well as for crimes against planet Earth. We can still make God proud that He made us in His image.
Wow you nailed it. Thank you for knowing the truth and saying it. It’s God that is making all happen. It’s his way of saying OK I’m giving you all another reason to believe and let others know. this is God’s earth 🌎 we’re just paying our dues to be here.
Yes, God. She’s trying to get our attention. We were made in her image
Mhmm mhmm mhmm mhmm , yes
Silly human, there is no “up” when it comes to phenomena of planetary scale or bigger. Second, we know of these phenomena you mentioned because humans have been observing and refining knowledge for *millennia*. This is not a recent thing. We learned about these things by observing patterns with a healthy skepticism. That is unlike religious people who ignore the learning process that earned them the other 99.99% of their knowledge.
Ever since my young eyes first locked onto the awe and wonder of a star-studded night sky, it’s been a subject of endless curious- ity along with a sobering perspective of our insignificance as individuals. Only by standing together will we enable us ALL to not just grow but to soar.That’s when human- ity will be ready and worthy to discover what’s REALLY beyond those star-studded night skies.I believe that SPACE is still the FINAL FRONTIER. Embrace it.It will embrace you back.
“DIG”☮️!!
Most of us are on the same page, just reading a different book. 📖 📚
….from “Ron’s note book of observations”
We all just need to count our blessings and stop acting like neanderthals.
Hello. Utopia as welcome sometime while expressing copeness of technology you or the will power thus we test our far most inner mind podcast 😁 Why attentioning scholars dreaming higher presentation quote successas because you invite Michigan . One layer site suiter cycle out wisdom creation miles stone greater Peninsula February pioneer.solar immerse night pivoting vision hearing navigating prototypes GPS compassion
Zechariah, what are you trying to say? It seems like uneducated ramblings or, English is not your first language.
Both, and poet.
I really could use my employment back.As forth I’m struggling within this hidden knowledge.And my funds are limited
How is it i got this 2day, the article is dated 2day (4 June 2024), & yet it’s telling me I can view this on 3 June 2024… hello? That’s uhm… oh… YESTERDAY!
Now that’s what I call up-to-date reporting. This must be from the Yahoo science dept. They’re extremely skewed (not to mention wrong) w their news. Why not science?
I always like getting yesterday’s new today.
NOT!