A celestial straight: Five planets to align in order in June

The predawn sky in June will host a parade of planets in their proper schoolroom order.

Devoted sky-gazers and curious early risers can catch an unusual planetary alignment in the dawn sky: Five planets — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn — in an arc across the Eastern sky, and in order of their distance from the Sun.

The last time the five planets were aligned in such a fashion was 2004, according to a media release from the American Astronomical Society.

Those interested should look East about a half hour before Sunrise. In the early part of June, particularly 3-4 June, bright Venus won’t be that far above the horizon, and tracing an elliptic arc to the Southeast will reveal red Mars quite close to Jupiter, with Saturn further South at the tail end of the arc.

Mercury will be there in the early days of June, but so low to the horizon, you might not see it without a very clear view to the horizon.

It may also rise so late that it will appear faint against the glare of the rising Sun, so a pair of binoculars might be necessary, despite the fact these five planets are often called “naked eye planets” since they do not require a telescope to view under ideal conditions.

As June progresses, Mercury will rise higher and brighter before sunrise, and Jupiter will separate from Mars as Saturn moves even further along the arc.

Possibly the best date to catch the alignment will be 24 June, when a crescent Moon will be visible between Venus and Mars, a visible stand-in for Earth in this procession of the first five planets out from the Sun.