5 Planets Are Aligning In The Sky & You Can See The Rare Show In Canada Without A Telescope

If you're an early riser, you'll be treated to the sight of five planets in the sky lining up with each other and you don't need a telescope to see it!

The five planets — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn — will be aligned in the eastern sky over Canada and visible to the naked eye.

When looking to the east before the sun rises you'll be able to see bright objects lined up in a row, Elaina Hyde, an astrophysicist and director of the Allan I. Carswell Observatory, told CTV News.

While the best mornings to spot this celestial event in Canada were June 10 and June 11, it can still be viewed all the way until early July with clear conditions and an unobstructed view of the horizon.

Jan Cami, a professor at Western University and director of the Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory, told CTV News that the last time five planets aligned and were visible to the naked eye was 2020 and 2016 before that.

This alignment is considered "rare" because the planets will line up in order, which means you'll be able to see them in the order they are in the solar system.

According to Cami, the last time that occurred was in 2004 and it won't happen again until 2040!

There's an extra treat with this celestial event because the moon will pass by all of the five planets from mid to late June in its waning gibbous and crescent phases, EarthSky said.

If you need some help figuring out what the planets are, they will stretch up in order from the horizon.

Mercury will be closest to the sunrise, Venus is the brightest, Mars is red-tinted, Jupiter is bright and then Saturn is after that, according to EarthSky.

Not that long ago at the end of April and the beginning of May, four planets — Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter — aligned in the sky during the early morning hours as well!

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.