Planet parade. Planet party. Planet-palooza. Whatever you want to call it, there will be a lovely lineup of planets visible across the early morning sky in June. Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are the stars of the show, but you might get lucky and spot Mercury, too.
Your first prime viewing opportunity comes early on the mornings of June 3 and 4. “All five naked-eye planets will line up in the dawn sky in June. Not only that, they’ll also be in their proper order from the sun,” Sky & Telescope said in a statement Tuesday.
Venus through Saturn should be easy to see if the sky is clear. Mercury is the wild card. Sky & Telescope recommends using binoculars and finding a place with a clear view low toward the east. Just be sure to get out there at least 30 minutes before the sun rises. Check with Timeanddate.com to find your local sunrise time.
The planet-fest will continue on through the month. A NASA graphic from the agency’s What’s Up skygazing guide shows what to look for in mid-June at around 45 minutes before sunrise.
NASA shows how Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will line up at about 45 minutes before sunrise in mid-June.
NASA.JPL-Caltech
Mark your calendar for June 23, when the crescent moon will join the line dance. If you’re out at 45 minutes before sunrise, you should see it hanging out near Mars.
Sky & Telescope calls out the morning of June 24 as another good chance to see Mercury along with the other planets. Mercury, the closest planet to the sun in our solar system, should be brighter and easier to find at this time. If you get up crazy-early only one morning this month, then choose the 24th so you can catch both Mercury and the moon as they join the other planets to make a string of celestial gems.
This Sky & Telescope graphic is your guide to seeing five planets at 45 minutes before sunrise on June 24. Note that Mercury is low in the left corner.
Sky & Telescope
Think of the planets like Pokemon this month and try to collect them all. Most of them should be easy to see, but Mercury is like Noibat, a rarer prize. And if you’re just not a morning person, that’s OK, too. You can take your night-owl self out to catch the supermoon instead. Techically, it will be full on the morning of June 14, but it will look full at night on either side of that date. Enjoy the show.