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Rare planetary conjunction: Five planets of solar system to be visible in ‘special’ order from Friday

London  Edited By: Gandharv WaliaUpdated: Jun 24, 2022, 01:34 PM IST
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Five major planets of solar system to be visible in a ‘special’ order from Friday (representative image). Photograph:(Twitter)

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This setting of planets can be seen till Monday from most parts of the world. This conjunction had occurred earlier in 2004. It won’t be visible until 2040 again

In a rare planetary conjunction, five major planets namely, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, in our solar system will be visible brightly in a row from Friday. These planets can be seen through the naked eye alone if the sky is clear. The best time to witness them is before dawn. This conjunction is special as it includes Mercury, which is generally obscured from the view by the bright light of the Sun. Not just this, these planets will also be visible in the order in which they are positioned from the Sun.  

This setting of planets can be seen till Monday from most parts of the world. This conjunction occurred earlier in 2004. It won’t be visible until 2040 again.  

The planets will appear "like a string of pearls spread out from close to the horizon", said Prof Lucie Green, space scientist and chief stargazer, Society for Popular Astronomy.  

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A crescent Moon will also join the line-up on Friday. It will appear between Venus and Mars. The viewers in the northern hemisphere will get the best view from 45 to 90 minutes before sunrise. The people in the tropics and the southern hemisphere may get better views as these planets will rise higher in the sky before dawn.   

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(With inputs from agencies) 

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