Planetary Conjunction: Watch Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn Align in Lovely Night Sky

Several early risers recently witnessed a unique alignment of five planets today, June 24. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are aligning in that order for the first time since December 2004,

Three planets coming together closely is an everyday occurrence, but seeing five is unusual, Sky & Telescope wrote. The alignment of the planets about the sun in their natural sequence is likewise exceptional.

The five so-called "naked-eye" planets became visible on June 3 and 4. CBS News mentioned that the quintet could be viewed with binoculars for approximately 30 minutes until Mercury was obscured by the sun's brightness.

Prof. Lucie Green, a professor of astrophysics and head stargazer for the Society for Popular Astronomy, told BBC News that the planets are like a necklace of pearls stretching out from near the horizon.

The planets appear in the sequence they are positioned from the sun, making it a unique phenomenon.

Prof. Green claims that isn't always the case for planetary conjunctions considering the solar system from Earth.

(Photo : NASA/JPL-Caltech)
Planets continue to make a show in the morning before sunrise in June, with the Moon joining the lineup on the 23rd

Five Planets Line Up in Unusual Planetary Conjunction

The crescent moon, which serves as Earth's "stand-in" in the planetary procession, entered the "planet parade" on Friday, June 24, when it passes between Venus and Mars.

Space.com, citing Sky & Telescope, mentioned Mercury rose on Friday nearly an hour before the sun. The phenomenon gave the viewers plenty of opportunities to catch a glimpse of the entire parade before the sun ends the viewing party.

The planetary procession won't happen again until 2040. Therefore this event shouldn't be missed, according to BBC Science Focus.

The ideal time to view the 2022 alignment was around 3:39 a.m. and dawn at 4:43 a.m. on June 24.

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Michelle Thaller, an astronomer at NASA told the Washington Post, "Planets are often getting closer to each other and farther away from each other, but this is just a particularly fun order. It's just coincidence."

The planets will appear to disperse throughout the morning sky during the next months. According to NASA, most morning sky watchers won't be able to see Venus or Saturn by September.

Due to our various orbits and tilts, KSAT said none of the eight planets will ever line up exactly. The conjunction of five planets occurs only roughly every 20 years, whereas conjunctions of multiple planets occur rather frequently.

The moon has been on a planetary "meet and greet" throughout June, first passing Saturn on June 18 before moving on to Jupiter on June 21 and Mars on June 22. In the upcoming days, the moon will continue its journey, crossing Venus on June 26 and concluding its journey with Mercury on June 27.

Other Upcoming Space Events

Don't worry if you missed the rare planetary conjunction since there are other exciting events soon. The Old Farmer's Almanac predicts that there will be one more complete lunar eclipse and a partial solar eclipse in 2022.

When the moon moves in front of the sun but only partially blocks some of its light, a partial solar eclipse occurs. To observe solar eclipses safely, put on the appropriate eclipse glasses because the sun's brightness can harm the eyes.

CNN mentioned that people in Greenland, Iceland, Europe, northern Africa, the Middle East, western Asia, India, and western China would be able to see a partial solar eclipse on Oct. 25. Both of the partial solar eclipses won't be visible in North America.

A total lunar eclipse will be visible on Nov. 8 between 3:01 a.m. ET and 8:58 a.m. ET for persons in Asia, Australia, the Pacific, South America, and North America. However, the moon will be setting for those in eastern regions of North America.