Posted in South Carolina June 09, 2022 by

Five Different Planets Will Align In The South Carolina Night Sky During An Incredibly Rare Display

Celestial event lovers know there are some events in the night sky that occur only once in a lifetime. Fortunately, seeing the naked-eye five planets align over South Carolina – and in their order from the sun – occurs a little more than once in most lives yet it’s still considered a very rare occurrence. Can you name the first five planets from the sun in order? Let’s go with: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The last time these five planets were visible over South Carolina at one time and in their order from the sun was in 2004.

Fast forward to this month in 2022 and we're getting to see this celestial occurrence again for the first time in 18 years. Reach for the stars and see a celestial wonder this month that doesn't happen all too often!
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Wouldn't it be nice to see the planets this large with the naked eye? Unfortunately, they'll be a bit smaller when you peep them during the early morning hours just before dawn this month.
alxpin / E+ Collection via Getty Images
It's fairly easy to distinguish the planets from the stars. Usually, the planets are much brighter and the light is more consistent than nearby twinkling stars.
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It's also worthy to note that it's quite common to see two or even three of the planets in our solar system in the night sky together. But seeing five of them in their successive order from the sun is a bit of a rare occurrence.
All during the month of June though, we'll be treated to this spectacle in the early morning hours just before dawn.
Sky and Telescope
You'll want to look toward the east and first pick out Mercury, as it will be the closest to the horizon.
The other four naked-eye planets will follow off to the right (toward the southeast and south) in a bit of an arc as seen in this illustration.
Sky and Telescope
One thing to note, in particular, is that the morning of June 24th will offer the longest period in which they'll all be visible: approximately one hour.

Are you an armchair astronomer? Don’t miss the sight as these five planets align over South Carolina during the month of June 2022.