Planetary alignment

May 23, 2024

Next month, on June 3, there will be planetary alignments that may actually allow people to witness six planets align in the sky.

About Planetary alignment:

  • It is a term used to describe the positioning of planets in the solar system such that they appear to be in a straight line or close to one when viewed from a specific vantage point, for us that's Earth.
  • This phenomenon is more an illusion of perspective rather than the planets being in a perfect line in space.
  • Aligning planets: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune will form a near-straight line.
  • Which Planets will be visible?
    • While six planets align, not all of them will be visible to the naked eye, due to their vast distance from Earth.
    • Meanwhile, the Moon will also play a spoilsport as it distorts the visibility.
    • Mercury and Jupiter will be tricky to see in the sky due to their proximity to the Sun in their orbit.
    • However, Mars and Saturn will be visible to the naked eye, though very dim. Meanwhile, keen observers will need telescopes or high-powered binoculars to spot the distant planets Uranus and Neptune.