Parade Of Planets: See 6 At Once Over Illinois This Weekend

It's been nice to see the skies over Illinois have been feeling pretty cooperative (meaning very little cloud cover) lately, as we've gotten some really good views of the "shooting stars" of the Perseid Meteor Shower, which peaks next week on August 13th and then wraps up during the first week of September after a long run that began back in mid-July.

Coming up this Saturday, Illinois skywatchers get a great look at an August full moon, the Sturgeon Moon. Although the Sturgeon Moon is not a SuperMoon, we'll get SuperMoons over the next three months with the next one showing up on October 7th, followed by November 5th, and then on December 4th.

But right after (I mean the literal day after) we get to August's Sturgeon Moon, we'll be treated to 6 visible planets during the pre-dawn hours Sunday here in Northern Illinois, and once again, it looks like the weather will be good for those who want to stay up late or get up early for a look at something that doesn't happen very often.

Here's What You Need To Know If You'd Like To Stay Up Late Or Get Up Early To See The Parade Of Planets In Illinois' Skies

You actually don't have to wait. The planets are already visible in the pre-dawn skies, but some of them are more difficult to see. You can check out the parade of planets with the naked eye, but according to the experts on these sorts of things, you'll get a much better view Saturday night into Sunday morning.

Patch.com:

Six planets — Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — will align in a giant arc just before sunrise. The first four planets in the lineup should be visible to the naked eye, but Uranus and Neptune will require binoculars or a telescope. The best way to see the planetary parade is to find a dark sky with a clear view of the eastern horizon.