- wording
- BBC News World
3 hours
image source, NASA/JPL-Caltech
On June 23, the Moon will be seen joining the conjunction of the planets.
It is a rare spectacle that can only be seen once every 18 years.
During this June, it will be possible to admire with the naked eye the alignment of five planets in the sky: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
They are the closest neighbors of the Earth and to observe them you will not need to use a telescope or binoculars, but you will it will be necessary to get up half an hour before sunrise and have a clear sky.
Although the quality of the observation will be better in rural places -which tend to have darker skies-, the show can be enjoyed without any problem from the cities.
Of the group of five planets, Mercury is usually the most difficult to appreciate due to its proximity to the sun, from which it will gradually move away during this June, which will facilitate its observation.
According to experts, the best day to see this conjunction will occur on June 24when Mercury will be furthest from the sun and visible even an hour before sunrise.
Additionally, on June 23 the Moon will be located in the sky between Venus and Mars -just in the place that would correspond to the Earth-, so it will be possible to admire six celestial bodies aligned in the sky.
The last time this conjunction of five planets occurred was in December 2004 and it will be repeated again in 2040, so it is better not to miss this opportunity.
image source, Getty Images
Remember that you can receive notifications from BBC World. Download the new version of our app and activate it so you don’t miss out on our best content.