Five planets to line up in the sky: When and how to watch the rare 'planetary parade' from India?

This weekend there will be an unusual ‘planetary procession’ in the night sky. A planetary alignment, which occurs when planets congregate near one side of the sun simultaneously, will take place at sunrise on Saturday. Five planets will line up in this alignment. In June 2022, five planets aligned for the first time in over 20 years. However, two of them (Neptune and Uranus) will be difficult to view, according to Star Walk, who noted that this is a rare chance to glimpse five planets at once. Here are some key details regarding the upcoming planetary parade . Which five planets are visible? On Saturday, the planets Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter , Uranus, and Mercury will be lined up in the sky. To get a better view of Neptune and Uranus, you’ll need a pair of binoculars.

Jupiter will likely be the brightest celestial object in the morning sky until the sun rises, making it simple to identify, according to Star Walk. “However, the other planets are much fainter.” Also read: Our Planet in Peril: How Earth's health is declining in seven of eight major parameters Why are they forming a queue? Contrary to what is depicted in movies, the planets in our solar system never line up in a single, perfectly straight line, explained Dailymail. All the planets eventually circle around to the same line if you looked at a two-dimensional map of the planets and their orbits on a sheet of paper. The planets do not all exactly orbit in the same plane in reality. Instead, they move about in three dimensions in various orbits. They will never be exactly aligned because of this.

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The alignment of the planets depends on your perspective. When viewed from Earth, if three planets are in the same area of the sky, the sun does not necessarily see them in the same area of the sky. Therefore, alignment is not a fundamental property of the planets themselves but rather a byproduct of a particular point of view. It doesn’t change the fact that this alignment is lovely and uncommon. StarWalk estimates that it will be 8 September 2040 before the next valuable five-planetary alignment occurs. When to see them? Look for a location with less light pollution and a clear view of the horizon for the greatest sights. An hour or so before sunrise, Mercury will be the last object to appear in the sky. Up until the sun rises, if you step outside at that time, you may see all five planets spanning the sky, from Saturn higher in the sky to Mercury near the horizon. Jupiter will awaken after 02:30 in the morning, while Saturn will rise in the sky at 11:41 pm. Mercury won’t be seen from India till after 04:23 am, reported India Today. Depending on your location and the sky’s circumstances, some planets will be easier to see than others. Mercury will be a little fainter but still potentially visible to the naked eye, in contrast to Jupiter and Saturn , which will be rather brilliant and easy to view, according to EarthSky. You’ll likely need to grab a pair of binoculars or a telescope to see Neptune and Uranus. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.