You will want to dust off your telescope for an upcoming planetary alignment, but it won’t be as impressive as some may lead you to believe.
Mars and Saturn are already appearing in the east before dawn, according to the magazine Astronomy. But on June 3, they will be joined by Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus and Neptune.
You will need help to see most of the planets in the pre-dawn sky, as Uranus and Neptune are not bright enough to be seen by the naked eye. CNET says you should have high-powered binoculars or a telescope to gaze at Uranus, and if you want to get photos, you will need special filters to be able to see details.
Jupiter will be at the lowest point and near the horizon followed by Mercury, Uranus, the moon, Mars, Neptune and finally Saturn at the highest point about 25 minutes before sunrise, Astronomy reported.
NASA warned that you will not be able to see all of the planets even if you have the right equipment.
“Contrary to many reports and social media postings, there will not be a string of naked-eye planets visible on June 3,” NASA’s Preston Dyches told The Los Angeles Times via email. “Mercury and Jupiter will be far too low in the sky at sunrise. Even under ideal conditions (a dark sky, free from light pollution) Uranus is very dim and challenging to spot. The skyglow near dawn makes matters worse.”
Dyches said you will only see two planets with the naked eye.
Mars and Saturn will be visible but they will be dim, according to the Times and Forbes.
Dyches said that the “real parade” will be on June 29.
One hour before sunrise, Mercury is gone from view, but planetary observers will still see Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and the three-quarter moon, depending on location, the Times reported.
To find out what you will see and when, you can use Stellarium or the app Sky Tonight, according to CNET.
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