Will you be able to see a 'planetary parade' in June? Not exactly. Here's why
Barely a month after April’s rare solar eclipse and weeks after a solar flare fueled northern lights, some media are hyping yet another celestial event — a “planetary parade.”
On June 3, the planets Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune will be aligned. But don’t get too excited. Unlike Star Walk Astronomical News’ widely shared photo suggests, you won’t see a parade of any sort.
Here’s what to know about the planetary alignment dubbed the “planet parade.”
Most of the planets won’t be visible in the ‘planet parade’
Jamie Carter, a senior contributor, published a story on Forbes Sunday morning debunking the initial claims made by Star Walk, a smartphone planetarium app.
Star Walk claims that all six of these planets will be visible just before sunrise on June 3, but in reality, the planets will be scattered across a huge swathe of the sky, according to Carter.
And of the six aligned planets, only Mars and Saturn will be visible to the naked eye. Both will be dim and hard to see.
The remaining four planets will either be too close to the sun to see, or you’ll need a powerful telescope and a bit of know-how to dial them in.
NASA backs up Carter’s claims
Preston Dyches, the host of NASA’s “Skywatching Tips” video series, independently reiterated Carter’s claims.
In an email to the LA Times, Dyches echoed Carter’s claims, saying that Mercury and Jupiter would be too low in the sky at sunrise to see.
Dyches also said that Uranus is hard to spot even under ideal conditions. And Neptune, which he says is six times dimmer than Uranus, requires a telescope to be seen.
What celestial events are happening in June?
June will be a relatively tame month for rare celestial events, especially coming off the heels of April and May’s historical happenings.
According to NASA’s Daily Skywatching Guide, there are no forecasting events, though you will have plenty of opportunity to catch the moon’s eight phases.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Planetary alignment dubbed the 'planetary parade' in June to be a dud
