The Twitch audience won’t see the lower third, but viewers watching us on NowMedia will now realize how much of a classical music dork I am.

Anyway, as the summer goes on, we’re getting to the point where the planets are easier to see. If you’re in the northern hemisphere, look to the southeast on the morning of Friday, June 24, where Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, and the Moon will all be in a line in the sky before sunrise. According to Sky & Telescope, the five planets will span 107 degrees of the sky. This alignment also happened earlier in the month, and if you wait a bit, Mercury will be even easier to see.

A couple of other miscellaneous events for the next week: Venus is 1.6 degrees from Uranus on June 11. Mercury will be at its greatest eastern elongation on June 16, and this will be the best time to see it in the evening hours. Finally, the asteroid Vesta will pass within seven-tenths of a degree from the Moon on June 19.

Most of the planets are visible with the unaided eye, so just head on outside and take a look. If you want to see Uranus or Vesta, however, you’ll need at least a small telescope and a finding chart. We recommend using the free software Stellarium.

More Information

Planet Parade to Grace the Dawn Sky This Month (Sky & Telescope)