Five planets to be visible in the sky this weekend

Amidst the plans of Friday night galivanting and Sunday morning hangovers - be sure to add to the diary a pretty incredible planetary alignment.

This weekend, on Saturday morning (17 June), five planets will be visible in the sky lining up within a 93-degree sky sector.

Brits will have the 'rare opportunity' to catch the striking celestial space show that can be observed without the aid of any fancy equipment.

BIOSPHOTO / Alamy Stock Photo

Stargazers are certainly in for a treat as they prepare for five out of the eight planets in our solar system to be visible one hour before sunrise on Saturday as they line up near the eastern horizon.

The planets in question include Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune, Saturn and you'll even be able to see Uranus on the special day.

But, be aware that two of them, Neptune and Uranus, will be a tad more challenging to spot with just the naked eye.

Viewers may need the help of binoculars or a telescope to see the two dimmer planets.

Jupiter, Mercury and Saturn, however, are set to be shining bright during the planetary parade.

Starwalk explains: "June 17 is the best day for observation. However, in some locations, the alignment may be visible several days before and after that date."

Talking about the position of the alignment, the site adds: "The planets do form a line, but it's not perfectly straight. All the planets orbit the Sun in almost the same plane.

"As a result, when viewing from Earth, the other planets appear to move along the ecliptic, the Sun’s yearly path across the sky."

To get the best chance of spotting the parade, be sure you're 'looking at the planets and not the stars'.

"It’s not as obvious as it seems!" Starwalk informs.

"It may be easy to distinguish Jupiter because it will be the brightest celestial object in the morning sky until the Sun rises. The other planets, however, are much fainter."

Offering a handy tip for the day, the site notes: "One of the differences is that the planets, unlike the stars, don’t twinkle."

The alignment of planets is fairly uncommon, with the next big event seeing five planets align set to take place in springtime of next year.

Starwalk explains the next one we'll see will commence 20 April 2024 giving stargazers the chance to see a 'a large morning alignment of Venus, Mercury, Neptune, Mars, and Saturn'.