Larry captured all five naked-eye planets lined up in the morning sky
The lineup
The morning sky has been chock-full of planets — a rare sight in and of itself. But on Friday morning June 25th Larry Pizzi photographed something extra-special going on before dawn: Every single naked-eye planet, plus our Moon, is lined up in the east in order of distance from the Sun. It’s an easy-to-enjoy planetary parade you won’t want to miss, stretching some 106° along the ecliptic (the plane of our solar system, along which the planets orbit).
Plus, that’s not all: In addition to the five “classical” planets — Mercury through Saturn — Uranus and Neptune are also in line. The more distant ice giants, though, require binoculars to see their dimmer disks, and they’re bucking the trend by standing out of order as well. Nonetheless, their presence means every single major planet circling the Sun is in the sky at once this morning, offering a unique and awe-inspiring view across the solar system.
