Don’t miss the moon join 4 planets in a rare alignment. Here’s when to see it in Lexington
Get ready to wake up early Thursday morning if you don’t want to miss a rare planetary alignment. Your next chance won’t come around until 2040 to see this many major planets appear to line up.
Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars will appear to line up in the sky after clustering seemingly close for the past few months. The crescent moon will join the party Thursday morning, and the best viewing time is about 45 minutes before sunrise.
The four planets will seem to increasingly scatter over the next few months, according to NASA, and Venus and Saturn are set to move out of view for most morning stargazers by September.
It’s not uncommon for two or three major planets to appear close to the human eye, but this many haven’t aligned since 2004.
The sun will rise around 6:14 a.m. in Lexington Thursday, June 23, and you may want to scout out your view of the eastern horizon early to make sure you don’t miss the best spot.
You can see this celestial event with just your eyes, so there’s no need to find a telescope unless you’re set on a closer view.
What other sky views can you enjoy this June?
If you’re looking for more astronomy fun after this gathering of major planets, check out globular star cluster M13.
Also known as the Hercules Cluster, M13 is a collection of hundreds of thousands of stars, which experts estimate are more than 12 billion years old.
While the planet alignment the week of June 23 can easily be viewed with a human eye, you’ll need binoculars or a telescope to see M13. For those using binoculars, the cluster will likely look like a small hazy spot.
Telescope viewers will get a closer peek at M13, and may be able to make out more of its stars.
The Milky Way is home to about 150 known globular star clusters, NASA says, and they orbit outside the galaxy’s disc.
You can check out the Night Sky Network to find astronomy-related events in your area. There’s a constellation tour scheduled in Lexington Monday, June 27, and a variety of public events are set for July.
Later this summer, you can catch a supermoon, which will appear full for about three days. The moon will look full for most viewers from early morning Tuesday, July 12 to the morning of Friday, July 15.
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