On June 3, a rare planetary alignment will occur, allowing you to see six planets in a line in the sky. Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are all involved in this amazing occurrence. This is your next opportunity to see a rare celestial show if you were unable to see the northern lights recently.
When multiple planets approach the same side of the sun along their orbits, this is known as a planetary alignment. As per Kate Pattle, a lecturer at the Physics & Astronomy Department at University College London, “This implies that their appearance in the sky is in a line when observed from Earth. In this case, Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and Saturn will form a line.
Even though this event isn’t a true orbital alignment or syzygy, it’s still quite amazing to see. The alignment is best seen an hour before sunrise on June 3 (and a few days before and after). To locate it, choose a position with little light pollution and a clear view of the eastern horizon.
Seeing all six planets—including the dim Uranus, Neptune, and maybe Mercury—requires binoculars. The brightest planet, Jupiter, will be the easiest to see.
