Five planets will align this month, and be visible to the naked eye

For the first time since December 2004, planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn will all be aligned in order in the sky.

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Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn will all be visible in the sky to the naked eye throughout June.

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Two or three planets often appear close together in the sky in what's known as a conjunction. However, four is less common, and even less so is the appearance of five simultaneously. Notably, the five planets will also be arranged in the sky in order of their distance from the Sun. All five planets were last visible together in sequence in December 2004.

Binoculars are recommended to see Mercury at the beginning of the month as it will be hard to spot. However, as the month goes on, Mercury will climb higher in the sky and appear brighter. Sky & Telescope magazine says to take particular note of the mornings of June 3rd and 4th, where the planets will span only 91° of separation, and June 24th, when the Moon will be positioned neatly between Venus and Mars, and the planets will span 107° of separation.

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The planets will be visible on every night between these dates, so if the weather doesn't allow for visibility on one night, you will be able to catch the event relatively easily throughout the month. However, the times shown in the above images may be less applicable depending on where you live.

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Adam grew up watching his dad play Turok 2 and Age of Empires on a PC in his computer room, and learned a love for video games through him. Adam was always working with computers, which helped build his natural affinity for working with them, leading to him building his own at 14, after taking apart and tinkering with other old computers and tech lying around. Adam has always been very interested in STEM subjects, and is always trying to learn more about the world and the way it works.

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