Wyomingites will have a front-row seat to a stellar celestial alignment on the morning of June 4. That will be when a rare “parade of planets” will spread across the sky for the first time in decades.
Six planets and a crescent moon will be visible just before dawn, arcing diagonally into the morning light. With an early alarm and a pair of binoculars, everything should be visible to the people of the Cowboy State.
This parade of planets is a rare event in which six planets align.
For now, people will have to make do with six planets.
“Every once in a while, we get a lucky alignment of the planets in the evening or morning sky,” said Max Gilbraith, planetarium coordinator at the University of Wyoming. “It’s a rare opportunity to see much of our solar system.”
The planets align
The eight planets of the solar system constantly pirouette through their celestial orbits. What makes the June 4 “parade of planets” so special is how they will appear from Earth’s surface, Gilbraith said.
“If you were to map the relative positions of the planets to see how often they would do something like this, it would be pretty weird,” Gilbraith said.
The farther a planet is from the sun, the longer its orbit will be. While Mars passes through all the zodiacal constellations in two and a half years, Neptune passes through one constellation every decade.
But on June 4, the planets should be perfectly positioned for a stellar view. Gilbraith said this is the first time such an alignment has been visible in at least 30 years.
“It takes several months for the planets to catch up with each other, and sometimes they are on the other side of the Sun out of place,” he said. “It’s strange to see them like this.”
Planet planning
Wyomingites should look east from their preferred vantage point about 25 minutes before sunrise to witness the parade of planets. Sunrise on June 4 should occur around 5 am.
From west to east, Jupiter is the first planet in the parade, closely followed by Mercury. Uranus is next, followed by a nearly new moon. Mars will float in the middle, with Neptune and Saturn topping the arc at the highest point in the sky.
Mars and Saturn will be the stars of the planetary parade. They will be the brightest planets that morning and the easiest to spot in the sky.
Jupiter and Mercury will briefly peak just above the horizon. Gilbraith said the planets’ proximity to Earth’s edge and their brightness, relative to pre-dawn sunlight, could make them difficult to find that morning.
“Pre-dawn light darkens the sky and makes denser objects difficult to see,” he said. “The sun passing at a high angle in the north creates a lot of brightness in the early morning sky.”
Meanwhile, Neptune and Uranus will only be visible with binoculars or a telescope. This is always the case for the two planets furthest from the sun.
Contrary to what many may believe, the alignment of the planets does not occur when they actually line up one behind the other. It looks like this from Earth when they are on the same side of the sun in their orbits around it. (Starwalk.space)
Crucial conjunctions
Another curious fact that morning will be a conjunction of Mercury and Jupiter. A conjunction is when two celestial bodies appear close together in the sky from our terrestrial perspective.
“It’s when two planets, or a planet and a star, are facing each other,” Gilbraith said. “They will rise together just before dawn.”
A conjunction is a unique phenomenon to observe on its own. Unfortunately, it won’t make any of the planets easier to spot that morning.
The only planet that does not participate in the pre-dawn parade is Venus. Gilbraith said that’s because it will have its own conjunction with the sun.
“Venus is on the opposite side of the Earth to the Sun right now,” he said. “The Sun’s disk is obscuring Venus. “It’s kind of cool, but we can’t see any of that from here.”
Where in Wyoming
The June 4 planet parade should be visible from anywhere in Wyoming, but anyone who misses it won’t have to worry too much. According to NASA, the parade of planets is a relatively common astronomical event.
Uranus joined Saturn, Mercury, Jupiter and Neptune for a five-planet alignment in June 2023. It was the first such alignment in 18 years.
June 4 isn’t even the only parade of planets in 2024. A similar spectacle with fewer participants should be visible on August 28, and three parades are anticipated in 2025.
Astronomy enthusiasts should mark February 28, 2025 on their calendars now. That’s when the seven planets of the solar system should be visible for that parade.
For anyone looking for a stellar view of the June 4 star show, Gilbraith recommends exploring your upward mobility.
“It will be better if there are no mountains to the east or maybe on top of the mountains,” he said. “From there, you might see Jupiter and Mercury before sunrise. “Mars and Saturn should stand out quite well, and you could get out a telescope for Uranus and Neptune if you have the means.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
Keynote USA
For the Latest Local News, Follow @Keynote USA Local on Twitter.