Parade of the planet. Planet party. The planet-deck. Whatever you want to call it, there will be a beautiful arrangement of planets visible in the early morning sky in June. Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are the stars of the show, but you may be lucky enough to notice Mercury.
Your first opportunity to watch comes early in the morning on June 3rd and 4th. “All five planets with the naked eye will line up in the sky at dawn in June. Not only that, they will 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 to 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 festival on the planet will continue throughout the month. A NASA chart from the agency’s Guide to Sky Observation shows what to look for in mid-June about 45 minutes before sunrise.
NASA shows how Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will line up about 45 minutes before sunrise in mid-June.
NASA.JPL-Caltech
Mark on your calendar June 23, when the crescent moon will join the dance. If you are out 45 minutes before sunrise, you should see it hanging near Mars.
Sky & Telescope calls on the morning of June 24 as another good chance to see Mercury along with 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 crazy early just one morning this month, then choose the 24th so you can catch both Mercury and the moon as they join the other planets to form a string of celestial gems.
This chart of the sky and telescope is your guide to seeing five planets 45 minutes before sunrise on June 24. Note that Mercury is low in the left corner.
The sky and the telescope
Think of planets like Pokemon this month and try to collect them all. Most of them should be easy to see, but Mercury is like Noybat, a rarer reward. And if you’re just not a morning person, that’s fine too. Instead, you can take out your night owl to catch the supermoon. Technically, it will be full on the morning of June 14, but it will look full at night on both sides on that date. Enjoy the show.
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