Observing The Sky
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The rare sight of five bright planets aligned with the moon wowed skywatchers around the world on Friday, with some gearing up for more this weekend to see a planetary sight that won’t happen again until 2040.
Throughout June, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn lined up left to right, in their orbital order from the sun, before dawn in the southeastern sky. Early Friday (June 24), the moon joined the planetary parade in an awe-inspiring view captured by astrophotographer Wright Dobbs, meteorologist for the US National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Florida.
“Seeing the night sky is amazing and knowing the rarity of these alignments, you should take every opportunity to see and capture it,” Dobbs told Space.com in an email after sharing an image of the quintuple. St. Cloud, Florida. Friday. Dobbs is a veteran night sky photographer and you can see more photos on their Facebook page, (opens in a new tab) as good as on Twitter (opens in a new tab) and Instagram as @wrightdobbs (opens in a new tab).
Related: The rare alignment of 5 planets culminates Friday with the crescent moon
The image was taken with a Sony a7ii, and consisted of a three-frame panorama with a Sigma 14mm f/1.8 lens. Each image was exposed at ISO 1600, f/6.3, 15 seconds.
“It’s definitely not the darkest place I’ve photographed astrophotography from, but I like what the twilight glow has added to the display of planets in the morning sky,” said said Dobbs.
More stunning sights poured in from social media.
LOOK UP: A little hard to see here, but if you look carefully from left to right you will see Venus, the Moon, Mars and Jupiter! These are just three of the five planets aligned right now. Cool stuff 🪐 #planetaryalignment #planetparade @GoodDayAtlanta pic.twitter.com/KeHn2WnJ4oJune 24, 2022
Five-planet alignment seen at Daanbantayan’ ✨WATCH: In case you missed the five-planet alignment earlier today, here’s a look at the rare phenomenon in this photo taken by photographer John Reco Estrera. 📸: John Reco Estrera via Micah Sophia Marcellones pic.twitter.com/eiNqFoQ2LsJune 24, 2022
Do you see the planets aligning?
If you take a photo of the Five Worlds Fiesta, let us know! You can send pictures and comments in [email protected].
Although the show peaked today (June 24), there is still plenty of time to see the planets lined up, as well as the moon.
The moon moved through a planetary “meet and greet” in the predawn sky, passing Saturn on June 18, Jupiter on June 21, and Mars on June 22. The moon will continue its tour with the transit of Venus on June 26, and then end its tour with Mercury on June 27.
Related: The Brightest Planets in the June Night Sky: How to See Them (and When)
If you’re looking for a telescope or binoculars to view alignments like this event, our guides to the best binoculars deals and the best telescope deals can now help. Our best cameras for astrophotography and our best lenses for astrophotography to get you ready to capture the next stargazing spectacle in a photo.
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace (opens in a new tab). Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in a new tab) and on Facebook (opens in a new tab).
