Tonight (June 24) sky-gazers looking up into the early morning sky could be lucky enough to see a rare planetary alignment that last occurred in 2004. But you’ll have to wake up before dawn to catch it!
On a clear morning, the incredible sight of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn all shining brightly in a diagonal line near the horizon should be visible to the naked eye.
The astronomical spectacle will remain visible in the morning sky until Monday, June 27 across most of the world. However, the planets will fade in brightness over the next few days, so get out there as soon as you can.
Read More: How to catch spectacular 'parade' of planets not seen for 20 years
Those wishing to catch sight of the rare planetary alignment should hop out of bed around 1hr 30m before sunrise. Sky-gazers should look eastward where the planets will begin to appear very close to the horizon.
Over the next hour, the planets should appear in a line one by one until sunrise. Additionally, if you have a telescope or pair of binoculars handy you may even be able to see the rings of Saturn.
The planets will even appear to line up in order, from closest to the sun to furthest - Mercury, Venus, (Earth), Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. But the real bonus is the waning crescent Moon positioned between Venus and Mars, serving as a proxy Earth.
The line-up is best seen from a high vantage point, such as a hill. Wales and the rest of the UK, in the northern hemisphere, won’t get such a good view as the southern hemisphere as the planets won’t rise so high in the morning sky before dawn, but the planetary line-up will still be a sight to behold.
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