Look at the sky! 👀
Set your alarm clocks. You’ll have a reason to wake up early this month, for the sky is performing a rare spectacle just before sunrise. Throughout the month of June, we’ll be able to see five of the nearest planets with a naked eye: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Not only that, they’ll line up in planetary order (aka by their distance to the Sun).
A cosmic chorus line such as this is pretty rare — the last time it happened was in December of 2004 — and we won’t receive another opportunity like it until 2040.
When it’s happening ⏰
You’ll have a chance to glimpse the planets all month, but the best time would be in the early hours of June 24th. The waning Moon around this day will make the other planetary wanderers easier to find. This will be a gift, because it’s often difficult to spot planets with the naked eye. When a planet travels near the Sun — from our point of view on Earth — our central star tends to swallow their light. (Think Icarus surfing too close to the Sun’s rays.)
Why it matters 🔭✨
The conditions in June are special. The planets will be far enough from Sol that we can observe them each in their own splendor, but close enough that we can, in fact, see them. It’s a coincidence that the planets have decided to arrange themselves in order, but their formation happens to serve as a helpful diagram when it comes to traditional astrology. These five planets (along with the Sun and Moon) are the seven bodies we focus on in traditional frameworks, such as planetary rulership.
Before there were astrology apps, before there were Sun-sign memes, there was simply the night (or early morning) sky. This June, it’s almost like we get to time-travel back to what ancient astrologers used to experience. It’s a remembering, of sorts. A return to that age-old awe of the cosmos. A proper meeting with the planets, without the intermediary of a screen. It’s a once in an 18-year opportunity to greet the planets in person. An occasion worth getting up for.
What to do ✏️
- Find out what time sunrise occurs in your location and set your alarm 30 minutes before.
- If the horizon is clear, you should be able to view the planets without binoculars or a telescope, though it may help to get as high up as possible (think: rooftop or balcony).
- Behold each of the planets in their own light. After all, it’s not every day that we get to witness the planets “in the wild,” away from our screens and astro memes.
- Considering that astrology is a system that was created through our visual connection to the planets and the sky — take note of the qualities of each planetary body and consider how they may relate to their meanings.
- Learn about your natal planets by pulling up your Chart on the CHANI app or through our online tool.
- Tell your friends to go look at the sky too ✨
