It sounds right out of a fantasy novel, alignment of the planets. However, this fantastical phenomenon is a real occurrence that astronomers can track well ahead of time. In fact, one such planetary alignment is slated to occur on Jun 3, 2024.
What Do You Need to Know?
The most important thing to note about planetary alignments, also known as syzygy, is the fact that they only appear to align to us here on Earth. In many science fiction, fantasy literature and shows, the planetary alignment looks as though the planets are all in a straight line. Starting with the sun and working out radially from planet to planet. However, when astronomers talk of planetary alignment, the celestial bodies are instead arrayed in a rough line going across the sky. This has the side effect of the planets not being in order within this line. Far enough away from our home on Earth, the planets slowly lose the appearance of being this line.
What about the alignment coming up in June? On the 3rd, six planets will be aligned: Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and Saturn. They will be visible in the Eastern part of the sky nearly everywhere in the Northern hemisphere. As long as the weather permits where you’re at.
How Often Do These Alignments Happen?
Syzygy involving 2 to 4 planets surprisingly happens quite often, and the last such alignment happened on April 8th of this year. However, alignments involving 5 or more are as you can imagine, much more rare. This is due to the fact that the planets orbit the sun at different rates, so when they do line up, it is only for a brief moment before they fall out of sync once more.
The next planetary alignment is slated to happen on August 28 of this year, involving the same six planets as the one in June.
Upcoming Alignment Events
- June 3rd – Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
- August 28th – Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
- January 18, 2025 – Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
- February 28, 2025 – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune (the last time all 7 planets were aligned was during the total solar eclipse on April 8th)
- August 29, 2025 – Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
Information was sourced from StarWalk.space, NASA< Astronomy.com, and USA TODAY
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