Extremely Rare “Parade of Planets” Visible for 1 Night Only in New York

New York will have a front row seat to one of the rarest planetary alignments in history this summer.

Planetary alignments of three or more are extremely uncommon. It's estimated it takes roughly 40 years between the three inner planets lining up, or what's called a "mini" planetary alignment.

Sky & Telescope calculated that once every 396 billion years, all eight planets align, known as the "Great" alignment. Unfortunately, it's highly unlikely we will get to see see it because the next time it happens will be in the year 2161, according to StarWalk.

Lucky for us, something just as spectacular is in store for us this summer. Six planets, known as a "Large Planetary Alignment" will be visible for one night only.

This rare but beautiful celestial event will fall on June 3, 2024. The paths of the planets Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn, and Uranus will align in the sky. This TikTok video perfectly explains why this is a big deal.

@mulligan.tvThe parade of planets 2024♬ Epic Music(863502) - Draganov89

If you miss the show for whatever reason, the same thing involving the same planets will happen again on August 28th.

Be sure to have your stargazing binoculars or telescopes ready by then, it is sure to be a magical experience.

And, if that isn't exciting enough, this year is the best opportunity to finally see the Northern Lights.

Read More: 2024 Will Be The Greatest Year for Northern Lights in New York

Also, mark your calendars for a true once-in-a-lifetime event because the next time 7 planets will align in the sky will be on February 28, 2025 - consisting of every planet except Pluto.

The next time a planetary alignment consisting of at least five planets to be seen to the naked eye will happen on September 8, 2040. After that, the next time six planets visibly line up in the sky will be on March 15, 2080.

Happy stargazing!

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