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Thursday June 27, 2024

Will June 3 rare planetary alignment be visible to naked eye?

On June 3, six planets, including Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and Saturn, would be visible to the naked eye in a rare celestial event

By Web Desk
May 29, 2024
The parade of planets, or conjunction, will occur in the Northern Hemisphere. — Sky Walk/File
The 'parade of planets', or conjunction, will occur in the Northern Hemisphere. — Sky Walk/File

Before skywatchers begin counting down to the fleeting planetary alignment that is predicted for next month, some reports suggest that there might not be as much of a sky show as previously thought, ABC reported.

Earlier, a planetarium app called SkyWalk shared an article alleging that on June 3, six planets, including Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and Saturn, would be visible to the naked eye in a rare celestial event. However, experts say that this might not be true.

Meteorologist Joe Rao wrote in an article on the website Space that "people who plan to rise early and step outside on June 3 expecting to see the bloated disc of Jupiter or the rings of Saturn in a single glance will be, at the very least, quite disappointed."

Explaining why it won't be visible Rao said that the planetary positioning with each other and the sun will block most chances of a clear view.

However, he noted that gazing up from a flat horizon without trees or buildings may increase your chances of witnessing the planets.

According to Nasa, planetary alignment, also called conjunction, will occur in the Northern Hemisphere.

This phenomenon is not uncommon and was last seen in the Northern Hemisphere on April 8.