With the relentless afternoon heat, perhaps many of you have taken to early morning walks before sunrise when it’s at least a little cooler. Although upper 70s with high humidity is no picnic, the skies above at least offer some amazing viewing for your stargazing pleasure!
During these June mornings, above you is what Sky & Telescope magazine coined a “Planet Parade” as you can actually see in the sky -- without a telescope -- the five visible planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn! These are known as the naked-eye planets because no special equipment is needed (although a super duper telescope always brings in amazing shots).
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What’s more, those planets will be in the proper order they are from the sun so it’s easier to figure out which is which! Just look south/southeast/east about 30 minutes before the sun comes up which right now is 6:20 a.m. Here’s a guide:
Perfect for that ‘cooler’ 5:30 a.m. walk, right?
Our Full Strawberry Moon will grace the evening sky June 13, but then will be a waning crescent moon by June 24, which means it will add to the line-up for a pretty spectacular planet party! Look 45 minutes before sunrise, which will be at 6:22 a.m., so again around 5:30-5:40 a.m. for us:
You can read more from Sky & Telescope right here.
The heat is on
As you know, heat advisories may go into effect this weekend as temperatures reach near 100° and feels like temps approach 108°. So you may prefer a pool party. Go ahead, Plan-et!
Have a great weekend!
Frank