An incredibly rare celestial event is taking place this weekend and all you have to do is look up.

2 Eyes - 5 Planets

Of all the planets in the solar system, there are five of them that you can see with nothing more than your naked eye. This weekend, those five planets, along with the moon will be making a rare alignment. How rare? Keep scrolling to find out!

Photo by Vincenzo Malagoli on Unsplash
Photo by Vincenzo Malagoli on Unsplash
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See Five Planets Simultaneously With Just Your Naked Eyes

If you are like me and you get excited about things like sunsets, stars in the night sky, or full moons, you might also be excited to learn that you will be able to see five different planets when you look at the sky in the early morning hours this weekend.

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Not only will you be able to look up to see the moon and stars but five different planets will be available to see without the need for a telescope or other lensed gear. All you are going to need to see these planets will be the lenses you were born with - your naked eye.

 

close up of a human eye
Photo by Marc Schulte on Unsplash
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Which Five Planets Can We See In June 2022

Saturn

nasa photo of saturn
Photo by NASA on Unsplash
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Venus

nasa image of venus
Photo by NASA on Unsplash
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Mars

Photo by NASA on Unsplash
Photo by NASA on Unsplash
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Jupiter

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Photo by NASA on Unsplash
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Mercury

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Photo by NASA on Unsplash
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When Will They Be Visible

Saturn, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Mercury will all be visible to the naked eye throughout the entire month of June. According to NBC News, the planets will form a rare alignment in the sky most of the month.

Where Will They Be Visible

NBC News says to see the five planets, you will need to wake up early. Saturn, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury & Mars will be most visible in the early morning hours before dawn. You will want to look to the lower portion of the sky off to the southeast to find them.

...the five planets will appear strung across the eastern horizon before sunrise. The parade of planets will be aligned in order of their distance from the sun, with Mercury, closest to the star, appearing lowest on the horizon and Saturn highest in the night sky.
For the best views, sky watchers in the Northern Hemisphere should head outside roughly 30 minutes before sunrise and choose a spot with unobstructed views of the eastern and southeastern horizon.

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Photo by Luke Stackpoole on Unsplash
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Add The Moon to the Mix

Not only will the five planets be aligning, but the moon is getting in on the magic too. It will fall into alignment with Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn to create a visual formation that hasn't been seen in over a century.

The "Parade of Planets"

The Farmer's Almanac calls this formation the "Parade of Planets" and says that it hasn't happened in 158 years. While the five planets have been visible at the same time more recently than that (2020), this is the first time since 1864 that they have been visible in order of distance from the sun. The Parade of Planets will be visible about 40 minutes before the sun rises on Friday, June 24th. In the Evansville, Indiana area that the sun will rise that day at 5:28 am, CST.

If you enjoy the night sky, keep scrolling to see some incredible astrophotography captured over Southern Illinois.

[Source: NBC News; Farmers Almanac]

Must See: Astrophotography Taken Over Southern Illinois Zinnia Field

See beautiful images of the night sky over a zinnia field located in Redelman Orchards located in Southern Illinois. The spectacular photos were captured by Illinois photographers Grant Twiss and John O'Connell.

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