5-Planet Parade Set to Grace the Pre-Dawn Sky on June 17—Just Days Before Summer Solstice

An illustration designed by The Epoch Times using imagery from Shutterstock and Getty Images. (Dotted Yeti/carlosramos1946/Sabino Parente/joshimerbin/TinoFotografie/Shutterstock; Mariana Suarez/Dicky Bisinglasi/AFP via Getty Images)

Skywatchers can expect an extraordinary celestial show over the next 24 hours, and possibly longer, as five planets form a “planet parade” in the morning sky on June 17. Early risers gazing skyward in the northern hemisphere may observe a quintet of planets—Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter, Uranus, and Mercury—forming a somewhat ragged ascending arc across a 93-degree sector of pre-dawn sky.

To catch this heavenly procession of planets—“planetary alignment” is the technical term—viewers will need to rise at least an hour before sunrise. Ideally, spectators should find a vantage point shrouded in darkness with minimal or no light pollution; and, preferably, a clear horizon devoid of trees, buildings, or other vertical obstructions, as Mercury will linger low near the horizon. As the new moon falls on June 18, naturally dark conditions are favorable for planet spotting, though with summer solstice right on the brink, nights are nearing their shortest for the year.

So, looking toward the northeast, one may behold the cosmic showstopper as it unfolds thusly:

The first to rise will be Saturn, which will appear around the middle of the night on June 16, your local time, or in the wee hours of June 17. One can find it in the constellation Aquarius and, with a stellar magnitude (measuring brightness) of 0.9, the planet will be visible to the naked eye.

Next in the parade comes Neptune, which will lie 10 degrees lower than Saturn, according to Star Walk, and may be found in the constellation Pisces. Unlike Saturn, Neptune will seem dim to the unaided eye. Star Walk recommends using at least a pair of binoculars to spot this inconspicuous planet.

Third in the procession will be Jupiter. The brightest celestial object in the sky, besides the sun and moon, this planet will shine brilliantly with a magnitude of -2.2. It will be easy to spot Jupiter with the naked eye, and it can be found in the constellation Aries.

An illustration depicting the arrangement of the planetary alignment—with Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter, Uranus, and Mercury—set to happen on the morning of June 17, 2023. (Photo designed by The Epoch Times using imagery from TinoFotografie/Shutterstock)

Fourth, Uranus will make its low-key entrance with a muted magnitude of 5.8. One may try to spot Uranus 7 degrees below Jupiter in Aries also, however it is unlikely to be detected without a pair of binoculars at a minimum.

Fifth and last in the lineup, Mercury, the planet closest to our sun, will join in the rendezvous about an hour before sunrise, your local time. It might be a challenge to see it without a clear view of the horizon, particularly when viewing from higher latitudes. It will shine with a magnitude of -0.9 and will appear in the constellation Taurus, forming the tail-end of the planet parade.

The fun label “planet parade” is not a technical term, obviously. As mentioned, “planetary alignment” is how astronomers refer to the phenomenon; that is defined either one of two ways, according to Star Walk:

1. An astronomical event when planets gather closely on one side of the sun at the same time, as seen from above the solar system; or
2. A visual phenomenon when the planets appear close together in a small sky sector, as seen from the Earth.

Some might easily misconstrue this slightly misleading term, planetary alignment, thinking that the planets actually form a straight line in the sky. However, this is not the case; it is a physical impossibility for three or more planets in our solar system to align in a 3-dimensional space, as none of said planets have the same orbital plane as the others. At best they may come into relative close proximity with each other, and may appear to line up. They will also appear most spectacular, from our perspective on Earth, the closer they come to each other.

There are different types of planetary alignments, according to Sky Walk, which are as follows:

• Mini planetary alignment: 3 planets;
• Small planetary alignment: 4 planets;
• Large planetary alignment: 5 or 6 planets;
• Great (full) planetary alignment: 7 planets (+ Pluto sometimes).

The next planetary alignment for us to look forward to after this one will occur on July 22 and will feature: Mars, Venus, and Mercury forming a mini alignment in the evening sky. As for the next great planetary alignment, we can anticipate that to happen on February 28, 2025. Seven planets—Saturn, Mercury, Neptune, Venus, Uranus, Jupiter, and Mars—will all gather together in the evening sky for what will surely be an awesome event.

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