Parade of Planets: Our solar system will align above Idaho in June, but will we see it?
If you missed May’s historic northern lights event, don’t fret. You’ll have another chance to view a celestial event Monday night — if the weather cooperates.
The “Parade of Planets” is set to happen in the early hours of Monday morning, according to the astronomy website and app Star Walk. Six planets will appear to align from our point of view in the early morning sky: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
That means the only planets not viewable in the night sky will be our own Earth, Venus, and Pluto, which was reclassified by NASA as a dwarf planet in 2006.
When will Monday’s planet alignment be viewable, and what will the conditions be like in Boise?
What planets can you view with the naked eye in Boise?
Despite most of our solar system presenting itself in what appears to be a straight line, it’s unlikely that all of them will be viewable with the naked eye.
The alignment will be viewable from Earth by looking east shortly before the sun rises, meaning for Boise, shortly before 6 a.m.
The following graphic from the open-source astronomy site Stellarium shows the location of the planets and a waning moon in the early hours of Monday.
While Jupiter and Mercury can often be spotted in the night sky, they’ll be located close to the horizon and rising sun, so the sun’s rays will likely drown out the planets.
Similarly, Uranus is third-closest to the sun’s rays and is the farthest planet from the sun in our solar system, meaning a strong telescope will be required to view it.
And although Neptune will be in a much darker part of the sky, its distance from Earth requires a telescope.
That means Mars and Saturn are the only two planets likely visible to the naked eye. Mars will be close to the moon, while Saturn will appear to be the farthest southeast and highest in the sky.
What will the weather be like in Idaho?
If you still want to get up early to view the alignment, you may be even more disappointed by the weather.
Although forecasts can change over the weekend, the National Weather Service in Boise forecasts mostly cloudy skies Sunday night into Monday.
The alignment will also be visible Tuesday morning — although less aligned than Monday — and may offer slightly better conditions. The Weather Service forecasts a 30% chance of showers and mostly cloudy conditions Monday night, but clouds may clear in time to view the planets early Tuesday morning.
This story was originally published May 31, 2024 at 4:00 AM.
