A Five Planet Alignment Will Take Over the Sky This Month

A five-planet alignment will be taking over the sky in early June 2022. This celestial event will include the Sun, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and Moon. This is one of the few times where these planets can be seen with the naked eye. This rare celestial event will be the highlight of June, so get ready to enjoy it! Here are the best times to view it.

The five-planet alignment will be visible from the low east to the higher south. Mercury will be harder to see and will require binoculars to see. The last time five planets appeared in order was in December 2004. The waning crescent moon will also shine near the planets but will be slightly off-centered. While these are great places to see the five planets, get outside at least an hour before sunrise to ensure a clear view.

In this month’s planet alignment morning sky, the five brightest planets will line up in order from the Sun. You can look for them at dawn throughout the month. In the eastern or southeast, you can catch them close to the horizon. While they’re not “scarce” per se, they will be more visible this month. The planet alignment has not happened since December 2004 and will happen again in 2040.

On July 4, 2020, the planet alignment lined up on the same side of the Sun. Next, this happens on September 8, 2040, when five planets will line up on that day. They’ll be joined by two new planets, Uranus and Neptune.

Unfortunately, the five-planet alignment will be too dim to be visible to the naked eye. In July, a crescent Moon will pass close to the planets.

The Moon Will Join the Party

The waning crescent moon will also be aligned between Mars and Venus on June 24.

Ancient volcanoes may have assembled a rare aid for lunar explorers.

This unique celestial planet alignment can be seen before sunrise. The following day, the Moon continues its orbit around the Earth, away from aligning with the planets.

If you skip the five-planet alignment in sequential order, the next one will appear in 2040.

According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, there are seven more full moons in 2022:

June 14: There was a Strawberry moon

July 13: Buck moon

August 11: Sturgeon moon

September 10: Harvest moon

October 9: Hunter’s Moon

November 8: Beaver moon

December 7: Cold Moon

The names are associated with the monthly full moons, but each has its significance across Native American tribes.

Written by Janet Grace Ortigas
Edited by Sheena Robertson

Sources:

CNN: A rare, 5-planet alignment will take over the sky this month; by Megan Marples and Ashley Strickland
KCCI: A rare, 5-planet alignment will take over the sky this month. Here’s how to catch a glimpse
NBC New: 5 planets to form rare alignment in the sky this weekend

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Dominic Simpson’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License