A Rare Alignment of Five Planets Took Place on June 24

On the night of June 24, billions of people around the world were able to see a rare alignment of five planets, the so-called planetary parade of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn lining up in a single arc in the sky. Next to them was Earth's Moon. Last time, this phenomenon was observed in 2004, and humanity will be able to see it again only in 2040.

The planets began to appear visible with the naked eye about an hour before dawn on the morning of the 23rd and 24th of June.

Saturn appeared first among the planets, rising above the horizon just before midnight. Jupiter rose next. It was more than twice as bright as Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, and was in the constellation Pisces. Then Mars rose and joined Jupiter in the constellation Pisces. Venus was the penultimate of the planets, becoming the brightest member of the lineup. It was in the constellation Taurus. Mercury, the fifth and last planet, joined Venus in Taurus and remained close to the horizon until the sunrise washed all planets from the sky.

In general, the alignment of two or three planets in the night sky is not unusual, but the alignment of more planets is quite rare. Big planetary parades involving 5 or 6 planets or all the planets of the solar system occur once every 18 years.