Here’s when St. Louis area astronomy fans can see the rare planetary alignment
You’ll have to wait 18 years to see a celestial event like this if you miss this sky scene where Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus and the moon will appear to align Thursday morning.
Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and Venus have stuck seemingly close to one another for the past few months. The group will start to break up this week, and the spread will create a prime viewing situation.
According to NASA, the four planets will appear increasingly farther from one another over the next few months.
The crescent moon will join the planetary party the morning of June 23, so look to the skies around 45 minutes before sunrise to enjoy these views. The sun will rise at 5:37 a.m. Thursday in the St. Louis area, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Morning stargazers can see Venus and Saturn with their eyes until September, when the two planets will move out of viewing range for most people.
It’s not unusual for two or three planets to get this close, but the last gathering of this scale was in 2004. This type of event won’t happen again until 2040, according to National Geographic, so you should scout out your view of the eastern horizon about an hour before sunrise to make sure you don’t miss it.
What else can you see in the sky this June?
If you haven’t had your fill of planetary 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.
The only events the site lists for June 23 near zip code 62220 are summer reading events, but there are telescope sessions, constellation tours and more planned for later in the month.
