Look Up: Illinois Gets A Look At The “Parade Of Planets” June 3rd
The skies above Illinois have been really busy over the last couple of months. We've gotten to see a full solar eclipse, we've seen meteor showers, and a solar superstorm made viewing the Northern Lights (or, Aurora Borealis) possible for people from Illinois all the way to southern Florida and Texas.
You'd think that would be enough for awhile, but that's just not the case.
On Monday, June 3rd, it looks like we're getting another reason to go outside and stare up at the sky---and that would be something called the Parade Of Planets.
By the way, I forgot to include the fact that we've already had one Parade Of Planets this year, and that happened during May 8th's total solar eclipse. People who were in the "path of totality" of the eclipse reported seeing Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Mars.
Where You Are Will Have Something To Do With Just How Planets In The Parade Of Planets You'll See In Illinois' Skies
If everything goes perfectly for you, and the skies cooperate, you could see up to 6 planets sharing the sky at the same time, along with a beautiful waning crescent moon. If you've got good eyesight, you should be able to catch Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn.
If you've got a telescope or a really good pair of binoculars, you should see Uranus, near Mercury, Neptune, and Saturn. Venus will be hanging around, too, but the experts say that Venus will be too close to the sun to actually be visible to observers.
Let's Get To What You Need To Know If You'd Like To Catch The Parade Of Planets On June 3rd
You're probably wanting to know if you have to stay up really late or get up really early to take it all in, and the answer is to get up really early.
Your best bet for viewing would be to get up and make sure you're outside and looking to the east right before sunrise. Sunrise on June 3rd is at 5:21am, so I would plan on getting outside by 5am to let your eyes adjust to the pre-dawn darkness.
According to Forbes.com, the moon should be really interesting during this time, and you can watch the waning crescent moon become smaller over a few days, starting on Friday, May, 31st.
Here’s when to look:
- Friday, May 31: A 42% waning crescent moon close to Saturn in the southeastern pre-dawn sky.
- Saturday, June 1: A 31% waning crescent moon alongside Mars and Saturn.
- Sunday, June 2: A 21% waning crescent moon alongside Mars and Saturn.
- Monday, June 3: A 12% waning crescent moon close to Mars.
- Tuesday, June 4: A 6% waning crescent moon, with Mars and Saturn higher in the sky.
LOOK: The states with the most UFO sightings
Gallery Credit: Nicole Caldwell & Matt Albasi