June marks the beginning of summer for many countries in the northern hemisphere. The biggest summer blockbuster is also about to happen for free as the five-planet alignment is underway and people just need to look up.
The celestial event rarely happens, and the last time that five planets aligned across the horizon in order was in December 2004 or about 18 years ago. Read on to learn how to enjoy this planetary alignment this month.
This VLT near-infrared image of the planet Uranus and several of its moons was taken by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Paranal Observatory in Chile November 19, 2002.
How to See June 2022's Planet-palooza
Skywatchers will be treated to a rare phenomenon in the pre-dawn sky this month as five planets will line up side-by-side in the "parade of the planets." Scientists have described the event as rare because three planets lining up are more common than five.
The five planets that will string across the sky in June are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. They will reportedly align in perfect order with the Sun.
The Sky & Telescope website explained in an article that the phenomenon was visible on June 3 and June 4 for about 30 minutes before Mercury was lost in the glare of the Sun. But there will still be another chance to view the five-planet alignment on June 24, which The Express reports as the optimal viewing peak.
Good weather is a must for stargazers to see the five planets align with the naked eye. But using a pair of binoculars is always a plus to get a better view of the rare celestial event.
On the other hand, experts said that the planets should still be visible in the preceding days even when it is cloudy. However, they emphasized that June 24 is still the best viewing time, particularly an hour before sunrise. Mercury will become visible on the horizon shortly before it will be swallowed by the Sun's glare making it invisible.
Diana Hannikainen, observing editor at Sky & Telescope, said in an interview that the sky on the morning of June 24 would give stargazers a delightful sight, which last happened almost two decades ago.
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Other Celestial Events On June 2022
The Sky & Telescope website reported that June is a great month for celestial events. Aside from the planetary alignment, the solstice will also happen this month.
On June 21 at 5:14 AM EDT, the summer solstice will directly pass overhead from anywhere along the Tropic of Cancer and give the shortest night this year.
However, there will be no bright comets, meteor showers, and eclipses of the Sun or Moon this month. But still, the planetary alignment could give stargazers a fantastic sight.
Lastly, this year's month of June is a good month to see a dim yet famous constellation between the bright stars Spica in the southwest and Antares in the southeast.
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