Planet parade is not rare event, but nevertheless a pretty sight: IIA

The world is obsessing over the June 3 planet parade', touted as a rare phenomenon. It is being said that only on June 3 planets will be visible to the naked eye. But Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru has released a series of posts debunking many theories being circulated via social media.

"For one, it is not exclusively on June 3. These planets can be seen aligned over many days in the coming week," said Niruj Mohan Ramanujam, head, IIA's SCOPE section.

According to him, on the days before June 3, Jupiter is closer to the Sun and after June 3, Mercury gets closer to the sun, hence June 3 is optimal.

"You can go out before sunrise every day in the coming week and try and spot as many planets as you can," added Ramanujam.

According to IIA's social media posts, in the coming week, people can see yellowish Saturn clearly, high up in the Eastern morning sky, with the reddish Mars halfway below.

The rest of the planets that are supposed to be visible during the planet parade, will not be easy to spot, said Ramanujam.

"About 20 minutes before sunrise, Jupiter and Mercury will be less than 10 degrees above the Eastern horizon. Uranus and Neptune, as always, are too faint to be seen with naked eyes. Venus will appear too close to the Sun," added Ramanujam.

He also dismissed the buzz on social media that the planets are aligned in a straight line only on June 3.

"The orbits of the planets around the Sun are roughly in the same plane, and each of them are inclined by only a few degrees from the Ecliptic (Earth's orbit). Hence, when seen from the Earth, the planet positions will be roughly along a plane at all times," said Ramanujam.

He also said this event cannot be termed as rare as such alignments can be seen every few years.

"The occasions where more than three to four planets are on one side of the Sun, and are closer to each other than usual, are called planet parades," he explained.

However, rare or not, it is always a treat to see the planets with our naked eyes, admitted Ramanujam. "It really is a pretty sight. But just remember, if you oversleep on June 3, you can always get up early the next day to catch up on the show," he added.