When do planets align in 2022? Date Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn are in alignment - how to see in UK

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are set to align in the night sky for the first time in almost 20 years.

It’s an exciting time for stargazers and astrologers as June has already given us the summer solstice and the strawberry supermoon, and now there will be a rare planetary alignment.

So, when will the planets align, what order will the planets be in and can you see them from the UK?

Here’s everything you need to know.

When are the planets going to align?

The naked-eye planets have been visible in the morning sky throughout June alongside the constellation Lyra and The Hercules star cluster in the Hercules constellation, according to NASA.

People were advised to start looking up to see Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn from Sunday 19 June, and there will be an increasingly spaced out planetary procession throughout June.

The crescent moon also jumped into the lineup on the morning of Thursday 23 June.

From 26 June, the moon will start to shift closer to the horizon, appearing to move backwards through the planetary line-up, moving first past Venus and then Mercury before slipping below the horizon to the left of the planets.

The close conjunctions will begin to break up over the next few months as the planets become more spaced out.

This means that Venus and Saturn will make their exits as morning objects for most observers by September.

What order will the planets align in?

The planets will appear in the same order as they are in their orbits around the Sun.

From the east-northeast horizon looking towards the right, you’ll be able to see Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn with the naked eye.

Will I be able to see the planets align in the UK?

One of the best things about this planetary alignment is the brightness.

Under clear skies, this means it should even be visible from cities and towns across the UK.

You’ll need an unobstructed view of the eastern and southern horizon for the best possible look at the planets.

If you have a pair of good binoculars or a telescope, you may also be able to glimpse Uranus between Venus and the Moon, although it is difficult to see.

Conditions will need to be near-pristine to be able to see Uranus, however.

What is the best time to see the planetary alignment?

Don’t worry, you haven’t yet missed the best time to see the planets.

The best time to see the planets align will be between 3:39am and sunrise at 4:43am on the morning of Friday 24 June.

Saturn will be the first of the planets to appear, rising above the horizon just before midnight.

Saturn’s rings contribute to its brightness, and therefore our ability to see it with the naked eye.

Jupiter will be next to rise, around 1:07am in the early morning of 24 June.

Next, Mars will rise at around 1:37am, and you’ll be able to recognise it by the distinctive orangey-yellow hue.

Venus will be the penultimate of the planets to rise at 3:03 am, becoming the brightest member of the line-up.

Mercury will be the fifth, and last, planet to join the alignment, which starts to peep above the horizon from 3:39am.

When did the planets last align like this?

Planetary alignments of this kind are pretty rare.

Due to the orientation and tilt of their orbits, the eight major planets of the Solar System can never come into perfect alignment.

The last time they appeared even in the same part of the sky was over 1,000 years ago, in the year AD 949, and they won’t manage it again until 6 May 2492.

The planets last aligned in a similar way to what is being seen in June 2022 was in December 2004, so it’s been almost 18 years since this was seen.

When will the planets next align like this?

The next time the planets will align in a similar way, after June 2022, will be 2040.

That’s another 18 years from now, so it’s worth getting a glimpse of this incredible planetary alignment now if you can.

What will the planet alignment mean for me?

The rare alignment of five planets will inspire new beginnings, according to one astrology expert.

Psychic Nicolas Aujula claims the alignment of Mars and Jupiter will be extremely powerful over the next few days as they are both in the Aries star sign and will be ‘jostling for power’.

He told NationalWorld that now is a good time for new beginnings.

Nicolas said: “Any new ideas that people have or things that they’ve had bubbling under the surface - now is a really good time to make it happen. When Mars and Jupiter come together they can really make things happen.

“The placement gives us a lot of energy, enthusiasm and people can find that their confidence is much greater at initiating.”

However, he warned that people may find themselves more accident prone and may fall out with people due to a lack of patience.

Nicolas said that Mars is the “anger planet”, so it’s important to be mindful when talking to others in addition to being wary that you could find yourself being bullied and pushed into a corner.

He added that this could also be a good time to learn a new skill.

“People may also find themselves wanting to learn because Jupiter relates to learning and higher education. This is a great time for even reading a book to enhance career prospects.”