5 planets line up in rare sky parade. Here’s when, where to look

ORLANDO, Fla. – “My very educated mother just served us nine pizzas.”

Mercury. Venus. Earth. Mars. Jupiter. Saturn. Uranus. Pluto.

You may remember the mnemonic device from elementary school to remember the order of the planets in our solar system. Back in the day, Pluto was a planet, but that’s a story for another time.

In this alignment, you’ll only have to remember part of the saying, however. The five naked-eye planets have been hanging out together in the pre-dawn sky for most of June and will continue for the rest of the month.

What makes this alignment so rare is that the planets are lined up in order from distance from the sun, hence the saying.

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Mercury is the lowest on the horizon, followed by the much brighter Venus. Mars, with reddish tint, resides to the northeast. Jupiter and the fainter Saturn are the highest in the sky.

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The alignment will be at its peak before sunrise Friday, and you can look toward the east and south to see our neighbors in the solar system put on this dazzling display.