Skywatchers can expect an unequipped view of Mars on June 3
Hold on tight, astronomy enthusiasts! Before you get too excited about the upcoming planetary alignment on June 3, experts warn that it may not be as spectacular as some imagine. Although six planets, including Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune and Saturn, do align along the ecliptic path in the early morning hours of June 3, not all will be visible to the naked eye from Earth, ABC news reported.
“People who plan to wake up early and go out on June 3 expecting to see Jupiter’s bloated disk or Saturn’s rings at a single glance will be, at the very least, quite disappointed,” prominent meteorologist Joe Rao wrote in a statement. recent debunking column for Space.
Well, experts from NASA and Astronomers Without Borders said that June 3rd is not the best time to see the planetary parade. This is because Uranus, Mercury and Jupiter will be swallowed by the Sun’s light and will be too close to the horizon to be visible.
However, experts say skywatchers should wait until the end of the month to see the planetary alignment.
“To me, the closest thing to a planetary parade is June 29, when you’ll have Saturn, the crescent Moon, Mars and Jupiter arrayed in the sky at dawn,” said Preston Dyches, public engagement specialist for NASA’s Jet. Propulsion Laboratory said USA TODAY.
NASA in a statement said: “Some online sources shared excitement about a “parade of planets” visible in the morning sky in early June (June 3 in particular). In reality, only two of the six planets supposedly on display (Saturn and Mars) will be visible in early June, Jupiter and Mercury will be at or below the horizon in the morning twilight and will not be visible. Uranus and Neptune are too faint to see without a telescope, especially when the morning sky is bright.
Joe Rao wrote that skywatchers can expect an unequipped view of Mars on June 3 at around 4 a.m. ET, which will shine in a “relatively bright orange light.”
Meanwhile, in 2023, the alignment of five planets: Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars occurred on March 28.
“You’re worried because planetary alignments are rare, but honestly, we get one every two years,” Bill Cooke, who directs NASA’s Meteoroid Environmental Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center, told “Good Morning America” at the time.
This story originally appeared on Ndtv.com read the full story
