Lovers of the night sky have plenty of reasons to celebrate this year; there are lots of interesting things happening in the sky right now, and one of those things is actually pretty special (and quite rare). It’s what’s known as a “planet parade”, and it’ll be visible over Indiana this month. This planet parade in Indiana will also be visible to most people in most states – weather permitting, of course. This is one of those awe-inspiring things that are definitely worth waking up early for. Check it out:

On June 3rd, it began: a fascinating and rare planet parade in which five planets of our solar system appear to line up in the early-morning sky, and in order, too!

Sky and Telescope Now, seeing two to three planets lined up together isn’t all that rare; it’s called a “conjunction” and as you probably remember, we had a conjunction over Indiana relatively recently.

But five? And in order? That’s pretty special.

Diana Robinson/Flickr The last time we had an in-sequence five-planet planet parade in Indiana (and elsewhere) was in 2004; best of all, the greatest part of the show hasn’t happened yet. That comes on June 24th.

In the very early morning hours of June 4th, just before the sun rises, Mercury will be much more visible than it is at any other time in June.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Flickr There will be about an hour of time to enjoy the view with Mercury included. It’ll pop up just above the horizon and remain obvious until it’s washed out by the sun coming up.

The visible planets will be Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, with an added bonus: a gorgeous waning crescent moon will be sitting right between Venus and Mars.

Andrea Luck/Flickr Astronomy lovers will notice that this seems symbolic, in a way. The moon will be positioned where Earth is at in the real-life order of the solar system, creating - sort of - a perfect little panorama of a part of our little corner of the universe.

You’ll be able to see the planets lined up with your naked eyes, though, of course, clouds might complicate this quite a bit.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Flickr However, should we be lucky enough to not have clouds to worry about, be sure to bring some binoculars or even a telescope. This is a rare opportunity to see several planets all at once, and a great teaching moment for the kids, too.

Which planet in this particular alignment is your favorite?

Hubble ESA/Flickr We happen to like Saturn. Those rings are just too gorgeous to ignore.

Maybe someday, our other favorite planet (Neptune) can be seen, too.

Sky and Telescope

Now, seeing two to three planets lined up together isn’t all that rare; it’s called a “conjunction” and as you probably remember, we had a conjunction over Indiana relatively recently.

Diana Robinson/Flickr

The last time we had an in-sequence five-planet planet parade in Indiana (and elsewhere) was in 2004; best of all, the greatest part of the show hasn’t happened yet. That comes on June 24th.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Flickr

There will be about an hour of time to enjoy the view with Mercury included. It’ll pop up just above the horizon and remain obvious until it’s washed out by the sun coming up.

Andrea Luck/Flickr

Astronomy lovers will notice that this seems symbolic, in a way. The moon will be positioned where Earth is at in the real-life order of the solar system, creating - sort of - a perfect little panorama of a part of our little corner of the universe.

However, should we be lucky enough to not have clouds to worry about, be sure to bring some binoculars or even a telescope. This is a rare opportunity to see several planets all at once, and a great teaching moment for the kids, too.

Hubble ESA/Flickr

We happen to like Saturn. Those rings are just too gorgeous to ignore.

Do you have any plans to witness this spectacular event in the Indiana night sky? Tell us your thoughts (and about your favorite planets) in the comments! For more awesome night-sky spectacles in Indiana, check out the best celestial events in Indiana happening in 2022.

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