SAN ANTONIO – The stars at night are big and bright and this weekend the planets will be too thanks to a planetary alignment.
Saturn, Neptune, Jupiter, Mercury and Uranus will line up on Saturday, June 17, about an hour before sunrise, according to StarWalk.
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A planetary alignment describes the coming together of several planets on one side of the sun at the same time.
StarWalk called the alignment Saturday a “rare opportunity to see five planets at once, but be aware that two of them (Neptune and Uranus) will be challenging to spot.”
KSAT Meteorologist Justin Horne said viewing conditions might be tricky for our viewing area.
“It’ll be a close call with cloud cover. Some early morning low clouds are forecast to arrive. Low clouds can be fickle,” said Horne.
Hope is not entirely lost for spotting the alignment though.
“It’s possible there will be some breaks, so we can check out the event,” Horne noted.
While Saturday will be the best time for viewing the alignment, in some locations, the alignment may be visible several days before and after that date, according to StarWalk.
There are several apps you can download on your smartphone to help you spot the planets, including Sky Tonight and Stellarium.
It’s worth noting, the Summer Solstice is also coming up on June 21.
“The summer solstice and subsequent longest day of the year are celebrated by many cultures around the world with numerous traditions, holidays and festivals,” according to Space.com. “From sunrise gatherings to midsummer festivals, summer solstice celebrations certainly blow the winter cobwebs away.”