‘Parade of planets’ Began at Night: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus Lined Up in the Sky

At night, a rare phenomenon took place over the Earth - a parade of planets. Six celestial bodies have been lined up in the sky since 3 June and will be visible for two weeks: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus.  It will be best seen in the night sky from 3 to 4 June, although some of it will be hidden behind the horizon.  

Mars and Saturn will be the easiest to spot with the naked eye, with the Red Planet having a reddish tint and Saturn appearing more yellowish-white.

The other planets are best seen with a telescope or binoculars, provided the weather is clear and there is not too much light pollution.

The best chance of seeing any of the planets is before sunrise, which will be between 4:30am and 5am. 

NASA noted that Jupiter and Mercury will be too close to the horizon to fully see the location of the six planets.

‘Only two of the six presumably visible planets (Saturn and Mars) will actually be visible,’ the US space agency wrote on a blog post listing events in the night sky in June.

‘In early June, Jupiter and Mercury will be on or below the horizon in the morning twilight and invisible; Uranus and Neptune are too faint to see without a telescope, especially as the morning sky brightens. The closest to the parade of planets will be on 29 June, when Saturn, the Moon, Mars and Jupiter will line up in the morning sky,’ the report says. 

During the last week of June, giant Jupiter reappears as the morning planet after passing behind the Sun, from our perspective on Earth, for the past few months. Until 24 June, you can see it at an altitude of about 10 degrees above the horizon as the morning sky begins to brighten. As July approaches, it rises a little higher each morning.

Then on 27 June, look for the Moon with Saturn. The pair rise around midnight and by dawn you will find them high in the southern sky. This morning, they appear extremely close to each other - close enough to appear in the same field of view through binoculars.

The planets change, and so does your mood, says astrologer and bestselling author Lisa Sturdast. Since planets play an important role in astrology, as do our birth charts, the celestial parade is bound to have a significant impact on our mood.

‘Putting it all together, the 6 planets may seem like we're in a rush to change our lives, but the reality is that we need to reflect and think about the best strategy to take these steps,’ says Stardust. ‘We will be overthinking and analysing aspects of our lives, so finding an outlet to relax is key.’