On the morning of August 24, stargazers will have the opportunity to witness another planet parade, with six planets visible in the sky at the same time. This event is not as rare as some other astrological occurrences, but 2024 has already showcased a total solar eclipse, Aurora Borealis, and a six-planet parade in June. The alignment will feature Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars visible to the naked eye, while Neptune and Uranus will require high-powered binoculars or telescopes. The planets will be spread out in the sky, with Mercury appearing just before sunrise.
The best viewing location in the US will be in the New York state region on the morning of August 24 between 5:45 a.m. ET and sunrise. The rest of the world will also have opportunities to view the planet parade on different dates in various regions. This will be the third planetary alignment event in 2024, with the previous one occurring during the total solar eclipse. Every place tested in the US, including California, Texas, Ohio, Florida, Washington state, and New York state, showed all six planets visible for at least a few minutes.
To determine the visibility of the planet parade in your region, tools such as Stellarium and the Sky Tonight app can be used by inputting your location and setting the date for the morning of August 24 between 5:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. While Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn will be visible with the naked eye, Neptune and Uranus will require binoculars or a telescope. Mercury may also be difficult to see without magnification due to its proximity to the sun. Weather conditions and light pollution can affect visibility.
Planetary alignments refer to the phenomenon of multiple planets being visible in the night sky at the same time, also known as planetary parades. The official term for this event is a conjunction, where planets are close together in the night sky. Different classifications exist for planetary alignments based on the number of planets visible, ranging from mini to great alignments. The last alignment where all the planets in the solar system were mostly lined up on the same side of the sun occurred in 949 CE.
Upcoming planetary alignments with five or more planets include January 18, February 28, and August 29 in 2025. The January and August alignments will feature six planets, while the February alignment will include all seven other planets in the solar system. Larger planetary alignments are less common, making these events a special opportunity for stargazers to witness multiple planets visible in the night sky. Using tools like Stellarium and the Sky Tonight app can help determine the best viewing locations and times for observing these celestial events.
