Didn’t catch the solar eclipse in April? Still bummed you missed the northern lights? You’re in luck, the skies will demand our attention again soon and this time you won’t need to travel elsewhere to experience the celestial event.

On June 3, six planets — Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune — will align in the sky in what is known as a planetary alignment. Most of the globe will be able to spot the alignment including Tennessee, said Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory Director Billy Teets.

Here is everything to know about the upcoming “planet parade.”

What is a planetary aligment?

According to the astronomy app, Star Walk, a planetary alignment, also known informally as a planetary parade, happens when a planets gather closely on one side of the sun at the same time.

There are several types of planetary alignments. They include:

• Mini planetary alignment – 3 planets.

• Small planetary alignment – 4 planets.

• Large planetary alignment – 5 or 6 planets

• Great, or full, planetary alignment – all solar system planets

What planets will be visible to Tennessee? What time will they be visible?

The naked eye planets, which include Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, will not all become visible in Tennessee until around 5 a.m. Central Time, since Mercury and Jupiter are very low in the sky.

Spotting the planets will require clear skies since Mercury and Jupiter only get about 6 degrees above the horizon by the time the sun rises around 5:30 am, said Teets.

Will binoculars or telescopes be required during the planetary alignment?

Optical devices like binoculars are recommended during the alignment. Mars and Saturn will be easily visible to the naked eye, however binoculars will be needed to spot Uranus and Neptune. Although, it will be difficult to discern Neptune from stars, said Teets.

June 3 will be the best time to view Jupiter and Mercury, however, it won’t be the only day the planets will be visible. According to Teets, on June 4, the two planets will be extremely close together. With clear skies and telescopes, stargazers will be able to spot both planets and Jupiter’s four large moons simultaneously.

Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Six planets to align in June: How and when to see the ‘planet parade’