You can watch the rare 5-planet alignment in a live webcast for free today

You can watch the five naked-eye planets align for free on a livestream that will be running Sunday (June 26).

Throughout June, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will line up from left to right in the southeastern sky, in their orbital order from the sun. Our guide tells you all you need to know about catching this 5-planet parade firsthand, but if your skies don't cooperate, you can also watch online for free. The webcast comes courtesy of the Virtual Telescope Project (opens in new tab) and begins at 10:30 p.m. EDT Sunday (0230 GMT Monday, June 27) with a view from Rome.

"Seeing the whole planetary family of the sun at a glance is a rare event, especially with the planets aligned accordingly with their increasing distance from our star," project founder Gianluca Masi said in a statement.

Related: The brightest planets in June's night sky: How to see them (and when) 

The five naked-eye planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, are in alignment in this poster for a Virtual Telescope Project event June 26, 2022. (Image credit: Virtual Telescope Project)
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Celestron Astro Fi 102

(Image credit: Celestron)

Looking for a telescope for the next stargazing event? We recommend the Celestron Astro Fi 102 (opens in new tab) as the top pick in our best beginner's telescope guide

While noting the naked-eye worlds are most apparent, there are other things to look out for as well, Masi said. 

"The moon will join the show, too, with the Earth on the foreground. But there is more: planets Uranus and Neptune will be easily visible through a binocular, offering the rare opportunity to see all the eight planets within a few minutes."

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The Nikon D850 DSLR

(Image credit: Nikon)

If you're looking for a good camera for meteor showers and astrophotography, our top pick is the Nikon D850. Check out our best cameras for astrophotography for more and prepare for the tau Herculids with our guide on how to photograph a meteor shower.

The alignment is taking place because the Earth and the major solar system planets all orbit along the ecliptic, which is the plane of our solar system. The moon, sun and large planets all run in a band across our planet's sky and line up frequently (generally with fewer worlds at a time) within our field of view, although in reality they are separated by millions of miles.

If you're looking for a telescope or binoculars to see alignments like this event, our guides for the best binoculars deals and the best telescope deals now can help. Our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography to prepare to capture the next stargazing sight in a photo.

Editor's note: If you take a photograph of the five-world fiesta, let us know! You can send images and comments in to spacephotos@space.com.

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Elizabeth Howell
Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com (opens in new tab) for 10 years before joining full-time, freelancing since 2012. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and (soon) a Bachelor of History from Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science since 2015. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace