Parade of planets on June 3: Here’s tips to catch the celestial show

The celestial event involves six planets - Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and Saturn, appearing to align in the sky near dawn.

Hyderabad: Skygazers in the city are eagerly anticipating the much-hyped ‘parade of planets’ on June 3. However, planetary experts caution that viewing the complete alignment may be challenging due to the rising Sun and the moon’s presence. The celestial event involves six planets appearing to align in the sky near dawn Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and Saturn.

However, only three of these—Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter—will be visible to the naked eye. N Raghunandan Kumar, Director of the Planetary Society, India, recommends Monday, about an hour before sunrise, as the best time to see the show in Hyderabad.

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“By 4:15 am, both Saturn and Mars will be visible above the horizon in the eastern sky, appearing like non-twinkling star-like objects. For those eager to see Jupiter, it’s best to observe it under expert supervision at a planetarium or with amateur astronomers’ telescopes,” he said. For those hoping to see Uranus and Neptune, a telescope would be useful.

However, Kumar noted that to see these distant planets, one must zoom in significantly, which reduces the field of view and makes it hard to see the alignment of the other planets. “The Sun will be illuminating the sky in that area.

It’s just before sunrise, but it will still be very bright, and you probably don’t want to point binoculars near the Sun,” Kumar e explained. Further, Mars and Saturn will be visible in the morning sky for weeks and several more celestial events involving these planets will be occurring throughout the year.