A “planet parade” in which six planets will line up in the sky, during Monday’s sunrise, will offer a spectacle that will last for one month, but only three planets will be visible to the human eye, said NASA on Thursday.
However, not all the planets will be immediately visible in the lineup from Monday: Saturn, the Moon, Mars, and Jupiter will align in the early morning sky on June 29, making this the best time to witness the full planet parade experience.
The planets will align in the following sequence: Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and Saturn, accompanied by a crescent moon.
Planetary Astronomer and Research Fellow at the UK’s University of Reading James O’Donoghue confirmed the news to CNN :“You’ll be able to see Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter.”
The sighting spectacle does not end there, the expert added: “If you have binoculars and if you know where to look, you could probably see Uranus.” However, he pointed out that to spot Uranus, it is better to see it earlier at night. “The bottom line is that you can only see about half the planets in this planetary lineup with the naked eye,” he concluded.
Later this week, on Thursday, the moon will be out of the way, lowering light pollution, according to O’Donoghue, and Mercury will have exchanged places with Jupiter.
During the phenomena, Saturn will seem yellowish in the eastern morning sky, with Mars appearing red from halfway down its surface. Jupiter and Mercury will be difficult to discern, while Neptune and Uranus will be too faint to see with the naked eye.
The alignment will be visible to skywatchers worldwide, although the best time to observe the planets with the closest alignment may change depending on where you are in the world.
Planets are continually circling the Sun, allowing them to cross paths at specific times. This causes some planets to be more prominent in the evening while others are more pronounced in the morning.
During the planetary procession, two or more of these planets align so that they may be seen with the naked eye at a given time of day.
Planetary parades are not uncommon as they occur every few years. The stars do not look bigger than usual in the sky, but their alignment allows us to see them more clearly.