Parade of planets visible on June 3

(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — Another celestial event is expected to arrive soon as the stars are set to align. Literally. A planetary alignment, sometimes referred to as a “parade of planets,” is when our planets appear to line up in single file. The parade will arrive on Monday, June 3.

This straight line is technically just an optical illusion as the planets in space are actually at vastly different locations and depths. However, to us here on Earth, it appears that they are in sync. Each of our eight planets (Nine if you count Pluto) orbits the Earth at a different rate due to their varying lengths in orbit.

This time around, six of the eight planets will pass by close enough to each other to bring about the parade. The six planets are Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Unfortunately, not all of the planets will be easily visible.

Saturn and Mars will be the most easily visible with the other planets possibly needing special equipment, such as binoculars or even telescopes. The best time to view this parade will be roughly an hour before sunrise on the eastern horizon. Sunrise on June 3 will take place right around 5:30 AM.

Planet parades like this one are relatively common, although not all of the parades include quite as many planets. Sometimes they can include just three planets. If you can’t catch this parade though, do not fear – another planetary alignment is expected on August 28 of this year. Beyond that, three more parades will line up in 2025.

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