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Around 3:00 a.m. local time on June 3, those north of the equator will get to see the parade of planets up close. As with any celestial encounter, the best viewings occur in areas with little obstruction . Although onlookers will be able to spot some of the planets without additional help, tools like binoculars are required if you hope to go six for six.
According to Rao, the parade will kick off around 2:00 a.m. local time when Saturn begins its ascent in the eastern sky. Without binoculars, the planet will appear as"a relatively bright light glowing with a yellowish-white tint." Uranus will also be nearly invisible, especially to the unaided eye."Uranus will rise only about an hour before sunrise, when morning twilight will be well advanced. So, like Mercury and Jupiter, there's no real chance of seeing Uranus either," per Rao. If the sky is exceptionally clear and dark, the odds of a sighting increase.