A ‘Planetary Parade’ Is Happening on June 3—Here’s How to See It

Move over, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade—there’s a “parade of planets” that everyone’s talking about. Just before sunrise on June 3, astrophiles are gearing up to see six planets line up in the sky.

Here’s what’s going to happen, according to The Weather Channel: Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and Saturn will all end up in alignment. If you are still #TeamPluto, you can count the former planet in the parade as well.

If you’re preparing to witness the planetary parade, make sure to grab your binoculars or telescope to get the full picture. Without tools to enhance your viewing experience, you’ll only be able to see some planets with the naked eye. While the East Coast will have the best view, people out West should be able to see it, too—so long as the skies are clear.

Even though it’ll look like the planets are in a neat, single-file line, that’s not totally accurate. According to Astronomy.com, “planetary alignment” or “conjunction” involves planets appearing close together when we observe them from Earth. In reality, some planets are millions of miles apart. 

There’s a lot of chatter on social media about this event, specifically related to the visibility and what exactly you can see with the naked eye. However, space experts are warning against buying into “celestial shams.” 

“People who plan to rise early and step outside on June 3 expecting to see the bloated disk of Jupiter or the rings of Saturn in a single glance will be, at the very least, quite disappointed,” shared astronomy writer Joe Rao in a column published on Space.com.

With all of this in mind, you may want to take your morning coffee outside, with binoculars in hand—but don’t worry if you miss it. Rao recommends holding out until shortly after 6 p.m. on either January 31 or February 1, 2025, when you’ll see another exciting occurrence: “four bright planets plus a lovely waxing crescent moon thrown in as a bonus.”