HARRISBURG (TNS) — To borrow the two words from a Hilary Duff hit single, the solar eclipse is so yesterday.
And not only because it’s come and gone (or a bird that’s already flown away, so to speak), but because now we Earthlings have a “planetary parade” to look forward to next month.
CNET reports how folks will be able to see Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn (possibly) with the naked eye — and Uranus with high-powered binoculars or telescopes — on Monday, June 3 this summer.
The Los Angeles Times continues to report how these planets will appear to line up during this time in an astronomical event known as a “planetary alignment.”
As to why one may “possibly” be able to spot Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn with the naked eye, well, Star Walk Astronomical News explains that it all depends on the conditions in which they’re being viewed. Light pollution and weather, of course, may hinder one from spotting them.
Star Walk also recommends that you “make sure you’re looking at the planets and not the stars,” since sometimes it’s tough to tell one from the other.
“It may be easy to distinguish Jupiter because it will be the brightest celestial object after the Moon in the sky,” reads Starwalk. “The other planets, however, are a little fainter.
“One of the differences is that the planets, unlike the stars, don’t twinkle. And if you observe the night sky throughout the year, you’ll notice that planets ‘visit’ different constellations while the stars stay in ‘fixed’ positions relative to each other.”
So mark your calendars, stargazers, for June 3.