Five planets will align in a row this month for the first time in 18 years and will be visible to the naked eye around the world, including in the UAE.
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will be lined up in their natural order from the Sun.
The rare celestial event was clearly visible on June 3 and 4, but will be even more compelling on June 24, when the planets will appear closer together.
The Al Sadeem Observatory in Abu Dhabi confirmed to The National that the planetary line-up will be visible in the UAE’s night skies.
“The conjunction will be visible before sunrise in the south-eastern portion of the sky,” a spokesperson at the observatory said.
The last time these planets were aligned across the horizon in order was in December, 2004, according to Sky and Telescope magazine.
Although visible throughout June before sunrise, there are some notable dates when the line-up will appear brighter.
“While seeing two or three planets close together (in what’s known as a conjunction) is a rather common occurrence, seeing five is somewhat rarer,” Sky and Telescope said.
"And what’s even more remarkable about this month’s line-up is that the planets are arranged in their natural order from the Sun.”
Early in the month, observers will need to use binoculars away from light pollution to see the alignment.
Later on, as Mercury climbs higher and brightens significantly, the line-up will be a stellar treat.
Strange Earth-like planets that lie beyond our solar system - in pictures
-
The landmark discovery of Trappist-1 set off a wave of excitement across the space community. It was the first time multiple Earth-sized planets were found in a habitable zone and were orbiting the same star – Trappist-1. Courtesy: Nasa -
All seven planets orbiting Trappist-1 are believed to be rocky and have potential for water on the surface. Courtesy: Nasa -
Located in a habitable zone, Kepler-22b was labelled by Nasa as ‘super Earth’. Researchers believe the planet, which is larger than Earth, could be another ocean world. However, because of the planet’s extreme tilt, the north and south poles would experience sunlight and darkness for half a year each. Courtesy: Nasa -
Discovered in 2020, Toi 700 d is only 20 per cent larger than Earth and orbits an M Dwarf star – a cool and stable type of star that do not release killer stellar flares, or radiation. Located 100 million light years away from Earth, one year on the planet is 37.4 days. Courtesy: Nasa -
Discovered in 2011, KEPLER-20e is an Earth-size planet that orbits a sun-like star outside of the solar system. It is too close to its star to be in the habitable zone, so it cannot hold liquid water. However, the discovery was still groundbreaking because it was the first time small exoplanets were found to be orbiting around a star that was similar to the Sun. Courtesy: Nasa -
Kepler-20f was discovered along with Kepler-20e. A year on the planet is19.6 days. Courtesy: Nasa
