Planet parade: What to know about June's 6-planet alignment

The 2024 astronomical calendar is packed with events; And there's more to look forward to, despite the eclipse and auroras already having passed overhead.

Nicknamed the "planet parade," a planetary alignment of six planets is coming to the night sky in less than a month. Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune and Saturn will all be visiting the sky in the predawn hours of June 3 according to reports from USA TODAY.

Though the planets orbit the sun at different rates, they slowly catch up to one another over time as they travel along the ecliptic path. When they pass Earth, this makes the planets appear aligned; But the formation is short lived, due to their varying movement speeds.

Here's what to know about the latest celestial happening.

More: Aurora borealis was dazzling. Will northern lights be visible in Asheville, NC again soon?

Which planets will be visible in the planet parade? Where to look for the planet alignment?

The planetary alignment will be visible in the eastern sky almost everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, as long as the weather cooperates. While six planets total - Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune and Saturn - will be aligned on June 3, not all of them will be visible without enhancement.

Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn should be visible to the naked eye, but high-powered binoculars or a telescope will be needed to spot Uranus and Neptune.

For Asheville residents who don't have access to a telescope, Pack Memorial Library has several telescopes available to borrow, courtesy of donations by the Astronomy Club of Asheville. With very limited supplies, however, you'll want to check one out fast.

More: When is the June full moon? Why is it called the Strawberry Moon? Why you won't want to miss it.

Planet parade facts

Here's some extra information on the planets set to align on June 3 courtesy of NASA and USA TODAY:

More: How many tornadoes have there been in Asheville, Buncombe? What to know about mountain twisters.

When will the planets align again?

Planet alignments aren't particularly rare, especially those with two to four planets. In fact, they occur several times a year. Five or more planets aligning, however, is less common.

The last planetary alignment seen in the Northern Hemisphere was on April 8. Here's when StarWalk.space predicts the next six- and seven-planetary alignments will happen:

? June 3: Six planets – Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

? Aug. 28: Six planets – Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

? Jan. 18: Six planets – Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune

? Feb. 28: Seven planets – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. (The last time all seven planets aligned was on April 8 during the total solar eclipse).

? Aug. 29, 2025: Six planets – Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

SOURCE: StarWalk.space, NASA, Astronomy.com and USA TODAY research

More: Hurricane season 2024: NOAA forecast for named storms 'highest ever.' Will NC see another Matthew?

Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, contributed to this report.

Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Planet parade: Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune, Saturn line up