Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn have been aligning in order this month for the first time in 18 years. This week will offer the peak viewing time to see the planet parade, WGNO reported.
According to astrophysicist Viktor Teifel, cited by Tengrinews, people in Kazakhstan will be able to witness the unique astronomical phenomenon from June 23 to June 25. All five planets, plus the Moon, will be visible enough to shine through the air pollution and bright lights, so they will likely be visible even on the skies of light-polluted cities and towns.
The brightest planets - Jupiter and Saturn - can be seen around midnight. Venus will appear at dawn in the morning hours followed by Mercury, which will be visible about half an hour before sunrise.
"The planets will appear in the sky in the same sequence in which they are in their respective orbits around the Sun. In this particular case, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible. The Moon will serve as an indication of the Earth's position in this sequence", explained the astrophysicist.
Stargazers can use the telescope to see the four satellites of Jupiter, not in a straight line, but in a zig-zag configuration, all on the same side of the planet. Moving away from Jupiter, they will see Io, followed by Europa, then Callisto and finally the largest of the four, Ganymede.
The last time this phenomenon occurred was on March 5 of 1864.
