Astrophotographer Wright Dobbs made this image of five bright planets visible lined up with the moon from St. Cloud, Florida before dawn on June 24, 2022. The planets are (left): Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn with a crescent moon between Venus and Jupiter. (Image credit: Wright Dobbs)
The rare sight of five bright planets lined with the moon amazed sky watchers around the world on Friday, with some preparing for more this weekend to see a planetary sight that will not be repeated until 2040.
Throughout June, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn lined up from left to right, in their orbital order from the sun, before dawn in the southeastern sky. Early Friday (June 24th), the moon joined the planet’s parade in a great view taken by astrophotographer Wright Dobbs, a meteorologist with the US National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Florida.
“Seeing the night sky is amazing, and knowing the rarity of these alignments, you should take every opportunity to see and capture it,” Dobbs told Space.com in an email after sharing a picture of the five from St. Cloud. Florida on Friday. Dobbs is a veteran night sky photographer and you can see more photos on their Facebook page (opens in a new tab) as well as on Twitter (opens in a new tab) and Instagram @wrightdobbs (opens in a new tab).
Related: The rare alignment of 5 planets peaks on Friday with a crescent
The image was taken with a Sony a7ii and consists of a three-image panorama with a Sigma 14mm f / 1.8 lens. Each image was exposed to ISO 1600, f / 6.3, 15 seconds.
“It’s certainly not the darkest place I’ve taken astrophotography, but I like what the glow of twilight adds to the depiction of the planets in the morning sky,” Dobbs said.
Other stunning views have emerged from social media.
LOOK UP: It’s a little hard to see here, but if you look carefully from left to right, you’ll see Venus, the Moon, Mars and Jupiter! These are just three of the five planets in alignment at the moment. Neat stuff 🪐 #planetaryalignment #planetparade @GoodDayAtlanta pic.twitter.com/KeHn2WnJ4o June 24, 2022
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Five-planetary alignment seen in Daanbantayan ‘SEE: In case you missed the five-planetary alignment earlier today, here’s a look at the rare phenomenon in this photo taken by photographer John Reco Estrera. 📸: John Reco Estrera via Micah Sophia Marcellones pic.twitter.com/eiNqFoQ2Ls June 24, 2022
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Do you see the planets align?
If you take a picture of the Fiesta of the Five Worlds, let us know! You can send images and comments to spacephotos@space.com.
Although the show peaked today (June 24), there is still plenty of time to see the planets aligned, along with the moon.
The moon moved through a planetary “meeting and greetings” in the sky before dawn, passing through Saturn on June 18, Jupiter on June 21 and Mars on June 22. The moon will continue its orbit with the passage of Venus on June 26 and then end its tour with Mercury on June 27.
Related: The brightest planets in the night sky in June: How to see them (and when)
If you’re looking for a telescope or binoculars to see alignments like this event, our guides to the best binoculars and best telescope deals can now help. Our best astrophotography cameras and the best astrophotography lenses to prepare you for the next stellar view in a photo.
Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace (opens in a new tab). Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in a new tab) and on Facebook (opens in a new tab).
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