Best chance to see rare five planet alignment occurs Friday morning

The best planetary party in 18 years has begun. Like a 17th-century astronomer, you can join it by just looking up.

Throughout June, sky watchers can see Earth’s five closest planetary neighbors in a row with their naked eyes, but the best opportunity to see the spectacle will occur about 45 minutes before sunrise on June 24. As a bonus, Earth’s crescent moon will also position itself between Venus and Mars and act as a stand-in for Earth. Sky watchers can see a spectacular view of the six celestial bodies in order stretching in a diagonal starting low in the east: Mercury, Venus, Earth’s moon, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The distance between Mercury and Saturn will be 107 degrees, according to Sky & Telescope.