Did you miss the Planet Parade on June 3, when six planets lined up in the sky? A second chance is coming. In August, stargazers will once again have the chance to see six planets in the sky at the same time. These events are called planetary alignments or planetary processions, and are not as rare as some other astrological events. But 2024 brings a total solar eclipse, the Northern Lights, and a six-planet cruise in June, so it’s a great year for backyard astronomers.
The prime time for planet cruises is the morning of August 24, when Saturn, Jupiter and Mars will be visible to the naked eye. Neptune and Uranus are visible during much of the night, but require high-powered binoculars or a telescope to view them. The planets are quite spread out, so you may need to turn your head to see them all. Saturn will appear first, followed by Neptune. As night falls, Uranus, Jupiter and Mars will appear on the horizon. Finally, Mercury will appear on the horizon around 5:45 a.m., about 30 minutes before sunrise.
This image from the astronomy app Stellarium shows what the night sky will look like during the planetary parade.
Like last time, the best viewing spots for Americans will be in the New York state area between 5:45 a.m. ET on August 24 and sunrise (estimated at 6:15 a.m. ET). Once the Sun crosses the horizon, the planets become less visible until daylight completely obscures them.
The rest of the world will also have the opportunity to watch the parade. According to the Star Walk app, you can watch the parade on the following dates in the following areas:
- Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong, August 23
- Athens and Tokyo, August 24
- Berlin, London and Reykjavik, August 26
- Mexico, August 28
- Sao Paulo and Sydney, August 30
This is the third such incident in 2024. The second occurs during the week of June 3, when up to four planets can actually be seen with the naked eye. Uranus and Neptune are also visible before dawn, but only with the help of binoculars or a telescope.
Will my area see the Parade of the Planets?
Almost certain. Unlike last time, this parade of planets can be seen virtually across the United States. We used the Stellarium website to test locations in California, Texas, Ohio, Florida, Washington, and New York, and found that every place we tested could see all six planets for at least a few minutes. Florida and California will have our smallest viewing window, with Mercury appearing a few minutes before sunrise.
To find out how viewing is going to be where you live, use the Stellarium website or the Sky Tonight app (on iOS and Android). Simply enter your location into either tool and set the date to be August 24th between 5:30am and 6:00am.
I recommend using both Stellarium and Sky Tonight as they offer different vantage points. Stellarium gives you a better idea of a planet’s visibility from Earth, while Sky Tonight does a better job of showing you where a planet is, regardless of visibility. In between, you should be able to find them.
Do I need any special equipment?
Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn are visible to the naked eye almost anywhere an alignment can be seen. Because Neptune and Uranus are far apart, you’ll need some high-power binoculars or a telescope to find them. Mercury is a toss-up. It follows a similar path to the sun, and it’s so close that it can be difficult to see without using some kind of magnifying glass.
This is typical of larger planetary arrangements. Generally speaking, planets that are far away from Earth are harder to see without help, while the disadvantage of planets that are closer to the sun is that the brightness of the sun can partially obscure visibility. Technically, the June 2024 planetary alignment includes Venus, but the planet is so close to the sun that observations are impossible.
There are other considerations. If the day is cloudy, the weather may put a damper on your quality time, and large cities may produce so much light pollution that you won’t be able to see anything. For best results, you’ll want to drive to a suburb where the sky is more clearly visible.
What is a planetary alignment?
Planetary alignments—commonly known as planet parades—describe the phenomenon of multiple planets visible simultaneously in the night sky. Although “planetary alignment” is the official term for this type of event, the two terms are mostly interchangeable. NASA and other space agencies also call it a conjunction. A conjunction describes a situation when planets are particularly close together in the night sky.
According to Star Walk, there are various classifications of planetary alignments. Mini planetary alignments include three planets, small alignments have four planets, large alignments have five or six planets, and their granddaddy, the large alignment, or full alignment, means all planets are visible.
There is another type of alignment where all the planets in the solar system are mostly aligned on the same side of the sun, including Earth. It’s not a perfect alignment, as the planets orbit in their own plane, but the planets are very close. The last such event occurred in AD 949.
When is the next planetary alignment?
Small and small planetary alignments occur very consistently. However, larger ones are relatively rare. Here are the dates when five or more planets will align:
- January 18, 2025
- February 28, 2025
- August 29, 2025
The January and August dates will be grand alignments, with six planets each. In February 2025, all seven other planets in the solar system will be visible in the night sky, which doesn’t happen very often.
