Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will align in the sky during June.
Don't forget to look up this weekend to see the start of a rare, five-planet alignment grace the night sky.
Beginning in the early morning hours of Friday, June 3, the five planets of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will align in planetary order.
This rare phenomenon has not occurred since December 2004, and this year, the distance between Mercury and Saturn will be smaller, according to Sky & Telescope.
Stargazers will need to have their binoculars handy along with a clear view of the eastern horizon to spot Mercury near the start of the month, the space magazine said. As June progresses, Mercury will become brighter and easier to see, according to Diana Hannikainen, observing editor of Sky & Telescope.
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The rest of the planets should be consistently visible to the naked eye, she added.
The best time to view the five planets is in the 30 minutes before sunrise, she said. The night before you plan to view the alignment, check when the sun will rise in your area.
Some stargazers are especially excited for the celestial event, including Hannikainen. She flew from her home west of Boston to a beachside town along the Atlantic Ocean to secure an optimal view of the alignment.
"I'll be out there with my binoculars, looking towards the east and southeast and crossing all my fingers and toes that it is going to be clear," Hannikainen said.
You don't have to travel to catch a glimpse of the action because it will be visible to people around the globe.
Stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere can see the planets from the eastern to southeastern horizon while those in the Southern Hemisphere should look along the eastern to northeastern horizon. The only requirement is a clear sky in the direction of the alignment.
If you wake up and the weather blocks the sky, don't worry, Hannikainen said.
"Just keep looking throughout the month of June and as soon as you have a clear morning, go out and enjoy that view," she said.
The moon joins the party
In addition to the five planets, the waning crescent moon will also be in alignment between Venus and Mars on June 24.
Unlike on the days leading up to it, this special celestial alignment can be viewed in the hour before sunrise, Hannikainen said.
By the next day, the moon will have continued its orbit around the Earth, moving it out of alignment with the planets, she said.
If you miss the five-planet alignment in sequential order, the next one will happen in 2040, according to Sky & Telescope.
There will be seven more full moons in 2022, according to The Old Farmers' Almanac:
- June 14: Strawberry moon
- July 13: Buck moon
- Aug. 11: Sturgeon moon
- Sept. 10: Harvest moon
- Oct. 9: Hunter's moon
- Nov. 8: Beaver moon
- Dec. 7: Cold moon
These are the popularized names associated with the monthly full moons, but the significance of each one may vary across Native American tribes.
What is the Flower Moon? A guide to full moon nicknames
January: Wolf Moon
The names for full moons, especially the most common ones adopted by the Old Farmer's Almanac, generally come from a combination of Native American and Colonial American terminology that have been passed down through generations.
According to the Old Farmer's Almanac, January's full moon was named the Wolf Moon because wolves tend to howl more during this time period.Â
Other names:Â Moon After Yule, Old Moon, Ice Moon, and Snow Moon.
An airplane passes the full moon, known in the Farmers' Almanac as the "Wolf Moon," on its final approach to Los Angeles International Airport over Whittier, Calif. on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
February: Snow Moon
February is generally the snowiest month of the year in North America, so its full moon was appropriately nicknamed the Snow Moon, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
Other names:Â Hunger Moon, Storm Moon and Chaste Moon.
The full Snow Moon lights up the night sky over Lawrence, Kan., Friday, Feb. 10, 2017. February's full moon is so-named from Native American traditions because usually the heaviest snows fall in month. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
March: Worm Moon
March marks the end of winter, which is the first time earthworms start coming out of the ground. The Worm Moon in March is usually the last full moon before the spring equinox.
Other names:Â Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sap Moon, Sugar Moon, and Chaste Moon.
According to TimeandDate.com, the Old English or Anglo-Saxon name is the Lenten Moon.
The full moon rises above the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Saturday, March 19, 2011. The moon appeared larger as it made its closest approach to Earth in 18 years. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
April: Pink Moon
April's Pink Moon doesn't actually appear pink in the sky. It's named instead after the pink flowers – Wild Ground Phlox or Moss Phlox– that start showing up in early spring, according to TimeandDate.com.
April's full moon is also called the Paschal Full Moon in the Christian calendar. The Paschal Full Moon is the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox and is used to determine the date for Easter.
Other names: Sprouting Grass Moon, Fish Moon, Hare Moon, and Egg Moon
A view of the full pink moon, in Lakatamia a suburb of capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Friday, April 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)
May: Flower Moon
May's full moon is simply named the Flower Moon due to the flowers that bloom during the month.
Other names:Â Corn Planting Moon and Milk Moon.
A full moon rises behind the Temple of Poseidon in Cape Sounion, south east of Athens, Greece, while tourists watch, on Saturday, May 5, 2012. Saturday's event is a "supermoon," the closest and therefore the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. (AP Photo/Dimitri Messinis)
June: Strawberry Moon
In North America, the name comes from Algonquin tribes of Native Americans. This full moon was their sign to harvest wild strawberries, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac.
Other names: Honey Moon, Mead Moon, Full Rose Moon, Oak Moon, Cold Moon or Long Night Moon, according to EarthSky.org.
The nearly full moon rises in the background as a horse eat grass in a field in Bloomsburg, Pa., after the sunset Monday, June 16, 2008, following a thunder storm which moved across the region. (AP Photo/Bloomsburg Press Enterprise, Jimmy May)
July: Buck Moon
Antlers generally start showing up on male deer during July, giving the month's full moon the name Buck Moon.
Other names:Â Thunder Moon, Wort Moon, and Hay Moon.
Fireworks light up the sky against a full moon during a Fourth of July celebration in Kansas City, Kan., Tuesday, July 3, 2012. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
August: Sturgeon Moon
Many Native American tribes would fish for sturgeon during August, thus giving the month's full moon the name Sturgeon Moon.Â
The fish were once found in much of the U.S. and Canada, but the population has been significantly depleted due to overfishing.Â
Other names: Grain Moon, Green Corn Moon, Fruit Moon, and Barley Moon.
The super moon rises over the Chinese calligraphy on a sign that reads "Beijing" in Beijing, China, Sunday, August 10, 2014. The phenomenon, which scientists call a perigee moon, occurs when the moon is near the horizon and appears larger and brighter than other full moons. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
September: Harvest Moon/Corn Moon
The September full moon is usually the Harvest Moon, which is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox. However, that sometimes happens in early October instead.
The name Corn Moon is used nearly as often.
Other names: Barley Moon.
The harvest moon rises over the Colorado prairie framed by the engines of a Royal Air Force cargo plane parked at a general aviation terminal at Denver International Airport in east Denver on Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
October: Hunter's Moon
As previously mentioned, October's full moon is sometimes referred to as the Harvest Moon if it's the closest full moon to the autumnal equinox. However, it's more commonly referred to as the Hunter's Moon. This is because October was when people in the Northern Hemisphere would begin preparing for winter by hunting, slaughtering and preserving meat.
Other names:Â Blood Moon, Sanguine Moon, Travel Moon and Dying Grass Moon.
A pedestrian crosses over the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge as the full moon rises, Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017, in Cincinnati. The moon, better known as the Harvest Moon because it's the first full moon during the fall season, had not risen in its full stage during the month of October since 2009. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
November: Beaver Moon
Colonists and Native Americans used beaver furs to keep warm during winter. They'd set traps in November before swamps froze over to make sure they had enough fur for the cold months ahead. Beavers also became more active during November, making it that much easier to trap them, thus the name Beaver Moon.
Due to hunting, the beaver population in North America has dwindled to about 12 million, where it used to be about 60 million, according to TimeandDate.com.
Other names:Â Frost Moon, Trading Moon, Snow Moon and Mourning Moon.
The full moon rises behind holiday lights on Thanksgiving in Lawrence, Kan., Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
December: Cold Moon
The naming of December's full moon is pretty straightforward — it's cold in December in most parts of the Northern Hemisphere. More specifically, it's usually the first month in many areas where it gets really cold and stays that way.
Other names:Â Â Long Nights Moon, Moon Before Yule, Oak Moon and Wolf Moon.
The Full Cold Moon seen through the star of a Christmas tree in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015. The full moon, which is the last of the year, is called the Full Cold Moon because it occurs at the start of winter. The last time there was a full moon on 25 December was 1977, and there won't be another one until 2034. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Blue Moons
The Blue Moon has nothing to do with color. Most commonly, a Blue Moon occurs when there are two full moons in the same month. The first would get the traditional name, while the second moon is called the Blue Moon.
An alternative definition considers a Blue Moon the third full moon in an astronomical season with four full moons, according to TimeandDate.com. A typical season has three full moons.
A blue moon rises behind the Statue of Liberty seen from Liberty State Park in Jersey City, N.J., Friday, July 31, 2015. The blue moon happens when the moon rises in its full stage twice during the same month. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Lunar and solar eclipses
There will be one more total lunar eclipse and a partial solar eclipse in 2022, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac.
Partial solar eclipses occur when the moon passes in front of the sun but only blocks some of its light. Be sure to wear proper eclipse glasses to safely view solar eclipses, as the sun's light can be damaging to the eye.
A partial solar eclipse on October 25 will be visible to those in Greenland, Iceland, Europe, northeastern Africa, the Middle East, western Asia, India and western China. Neither of the partial solar eclipses will be visible from North America.
A total lunar eclipse will also be on display for those in Asia, Australia, the Pacific, South America and North America on November 8 between 3:01 a.m. ET and 8:58 a.m. ET -- but the moon will be setting for those in eastern regions of North America.
Meteor showers
Check out the remaining 11 showers that will peak in 2022:
- Southern delta Aquariids: July 29 to 30
- Alpha Capricornids: July 30 to 31
- Perseids: Aug. 11 to 12
- Orionids: Oct. 20 to 21
- Southern Taurids: Nov. 4 to 5
- Northern Taurids: Nov. 11 to 12
- Leonids: Nov. 17 to 18
- Geminids: Dec. 13 to 14
- Ursids: Dec. 21 to 22
If you live in an urban area, you may want to drive to a place that isn't littered with city lights to get the best view.
Find an open area with a wide view of the sky. Make sure you have a chair or blanket so you can look straight up. And give your eyes about 20 to 30 minutes -- without looking at your phone or other electronics -- to adjust to the darkness so the meteors will be easier to spot.
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