Filipinos will be treated to a rare celestial spectacle beginning Saturday, August 9, as five planets, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon, align visibly in the eastern sky just before sunrise.
Dubbed a “planetary parade,” the event will be visible across the Philippines, weather permitting. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the best time to view the alignment is around 6 a.m., when the planets are most prominent in the dawn sky.
“The sky is rolling out the red carpet — planetary parade starts tomorrow!” the state weather bureau said.
Uranus and Neptune will also join the lineup. However, it will require a telescope or high-powered binoculars to be seen.
Skywatchers are encouraged to mark August 20 as the best viewing date, as Mercury will be at its highest point above the horizon. The alignment will continue to be visible until the end of the month.
The science website “The Secrets of the Universe” also invited the public to watch the rare alignment of the six planets in a video posted on YouTube.
“You should not miss this,” it said.
“This is the second major planetary alignment of the year. You might remember the ‘Grand Planetary Alignment’ that lit up our evening skies a few months ago,” the page also wrote on YouTube.
Meanwhile, PAGASA reminded the public that while the phenomenon is visible to the naked eye, light pollution and cloud cover could affect visibility.
“This celestial show will be visible until the end of the month, so don’t miss your chance to catch the planets gracefully lined up along the ecliptic!” PAGASA said.
For more updates, PAGASA recommends visiting its Astronomical Diary.
