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rare 'parade of planets' alignment
Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2022 10:33 pm
by bookworm
I'm unfortunately late to post this, so I doubt anyone will see it before the best viewing which is apparently early tomorrow morning, but I'm still sharing for the interested because it should stay relevant for at least a few more days.
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn have been aligning in order this month for the first time in 18 years. This week will offer the peak viewing time to see the planet parade.
You won’t need a telescope to see the rare grouping of planets, as they will all be visible to the naked eye. It might still be difficult to see Mercury, however, because of how dim it appears.
As we get closer to the end of June, Mercury will become brighter as it gradually climbs higher above the horizon each night, according to Sky and Telescope.
The best day for viewing will be on Friday, June 24, when the waning crescent moon joins the lineup of planets. Looking toward the southeast, the moon will appear positioned between Venus and Mars.
The best time to look to the sky will be about 45 minutes to about 1 hour before sunrise through the end of June. Keep in mind that June has some of the earliest sunrises of the year, so this means the ideal viewing time is just before 5 a.m.
This “parade of planets” hasn’t been seen from Earth since 2004, and it won’t happen again until 2040, experts say.
Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will still be visible for most mornings in July, but the group of planets will spread out farther and farther as the month goes on.
Re: rare 'parade of planets' alignment
Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 7:32 am
by The Top Crusader
Easy shot for the Death Star.
Re: rare 'parade of planets' alignment
Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 5:05 pm
by bookworm
I got up early this morning to look, it was neat! Mercury was too low to see, it was behind trees, but I saw everything else and as an unexpected bonus I also happened to see the ISS go by too!
Re: rare 'parade of planets' alignment
Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2022 7:02 pm
by Catspaw
Normally I'd say its impossible to watch too much Star Wars stuff, but....
That's cool. I hadn't heard about this previously!
Re: rare 'parade of planets' alignment
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2022 3:24 pm
by Termite
Catspaw wrote: ↑Fri Jun 24, 2022 7:02 pm
Normally I'd say its impossible to watch too much Star Wars stuff, but....
That's okay, I'll say it.
. . .only because I'm the one making "that's no moon" jokes whenever there's a solar eclipse.
I saw a video about this on Saturday, I think. It's definitely interesting, but I am very much a "sleep when the sun sleeps" individual, so xD Pictures are great!
EDIT: . . .I just realized I implied a negative
I totally meant it's NOT impossible to watch too much Star Wars, then took a dig at myself, but I don't know how that wire got crossed. Blame the French and backward grammar, I guess
xD Sorry haha.
Re: rare 'parade of planets' alignment
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2022 8:12 pm
by Catspaw
Termite wrote: ↑Mon Jun 27, 2022 3:24 pm
Catspaw wrote: ↑Fri Jun 24, 2022 7:02 pm
Normally I'd say its impossible to watch too much Star Wars stuff, but....
That's okay, I'll say it.
. . .only because I'm the one making "that's no moon" jokes whenever there's a solar eclipse.
I saw a video about this on Saturday, I think. It's definitely interesting, but I am very much a "sleep when the sun sleeps" individual, so xD Pictures are great!
If even you agree, then I'm in good company.
Yeah, there's really no sky-related event that makes me want to actually stay up and drive all over and hope for clear skies. Pictures later is fine with me. A while ago my aunt drove around and sat in her car in the middle of nowhere until the middle of the night to get pictures of the northern lights. Look at the pictures? Sure. The slightest interest in participating? Not a chance.