Astronomy: How do we observe the alignment of the planets on June 24?

This event is rare and for good reason, it won’t happen again for decades. A large planetary alignment, gathering six planets plus the Moon in the sky, will be visible in France very early at dawn between June 22 and 26, with a high point on June 24.

It is such a rare sight that it is seen only once in a lifetime. A large planetary alignment can be enjoyed with the naked eye from France from June 22 to 26. Six planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus) will align and can roughly draw a straight line around 5 a.m., Friday 24 June and Saturday 25 June, with our natural satellite as a special guest. The lucky ones with a telescope can look at Neptune and Pluto, the dwarf planet.

Dubbed the “Great Parade of Planets” by astronomers and astrophysicists, this event last happened with several planets in 1984, and you’ll have to wait until 2040 to see an approaching spectacle, and until 2124 to appreciate the same parade as the spectacle to be observed when Daybreak.

Gorgeous planetary parade with the naked eye

So it will be necessary to get up early to observe this historical alignment. The good news is that if the weather is nice between 4:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. around your place, you can watch this show with the naked eye. “You will have to face east in front of an open space. Wait for your eyes to adjust to the darkness for about 20 minutes [et ne regardez pas l’écran de votre mobile pour patienter]. Then you will distinguish planets that do not flicker unlike stars. You’ll spot Mercury which will be very low on the eastern horizon, then Venus on the right, the Moon, our satellite, Mars, and Jupiter will come, far from Saturn…University.

Don’t miss the wonderful journey of the planets at the end of June!

From now on, you can observe the alignment of the planets, with a high point on June 24 and 25!

All our tips are herehttps://t.co/YFxiw0whP4 pic.twitter.com/r2CaPfIH0K

– Sky and Space (cieletespace) June 14, 2022

Tip If you have the possibility to borrow binoculars, the landscape will be much more complicated to enjoy this alignment of planets closely. You might even see Uranus, which fits between Venus and the Moon. While telescope owners can go as far as to observe Neptune and even the dwarf Pluto.

The next meeting with the stars will take place at the beginning of August and more precisely on the night of August 10-11 with the traditional “showers”, the persidae, which makes it possible to observe up to 100 small asteroids every hour approaching our Earth.