Hey everybody, welcome back to the Elon Musk Podcast.
This is a show where we discuss the critical crossroads that
shape SpaceX, Tesla X The Boring Company.
And Neuralink. I'm your host, Will Walden next
month. In June, sky watchers are
eagerly awaiting a brief planetary alignment.
However, recent astronomical analysis suggests the
anticipated sky show may not meet expectations.
Now, on the morning of June 3rd, 6 planets Jupiter, Mercury,
Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and Saturn will all align along the
elliptical path. Now, despite this alignment,
experts caution that not all of these planets will be visible to
the naked eye from Earth. Now, people who plan to rise
early and step outside on June 3rd expecting to see the bloated
disk of Jupiter or the rings of Saturn in a single glance will
be at the very least, quite disappointed.
Now this. Attention on social media about
the Pareto planets surged after the planetarium app Starwalk
published an article encouraging users to view the alignment
using its Sky Tonight stargazing tool.
I use the tool, it's absolutely wonderful.
And NASA explains that the planetary alignment, known as a
conjunction, will stretch across the vast sky of the northeast
hemisphere. However, visibility will be
limited without the aid of telescopes or high-powered
binoculars. And if you're just getting into
astronomy, I would suggest getting a pair of high-powered
binoculars before investing in a high-powered telescope now.
Star Walk's April 25th article noted that Mercury, Mars,
Jupiter, and Saturn might be seen with the naked eye.
However, Neptune and Uranus will require optical aid such as a
telescope or high-powered binoculars due to their dimness
and how far away they are from the Earth.
Now the visibility is scheduled for June 3rd.
Saturn's magnitude is 1.1, Neptune is 7.9 and late at night
Mars magnitude is 1.1. Before dawn and at dawn Uranus
magnitude of 5.8. Jupiter's magnitude is -2 and
Mercury's magnitude is -1.4. They'll be very difficult to see
Jupiter and Mercury now. Various factors will obstruct
clear views of this alignment, and the proximity of Mercury and
Jupiter to the Sun and their positions near the East NE
horizon will likely be massed by the brilliant glow of morning
twilight. However, those viewing from a
flat, unobstructed horizon may spot both planets using
binoculars, such as a beach or a flat area with no hills or
mountains around you, or trees. Now for Uranus, views on June
3rd will only be possible from very very dark, non light
polluted skies according to experts right now, and similar
to Mercury and Jupiter, Uranus is expected to rise just an hour
before the sun, making it difficult to see due to the
twilight. Now Neptune, which is the
farthest planet from the sun, is way too dim to be seen without
specialized equipment. No chance of seeing that planet
either, unless you have access to a dark sky, a star chart, and
at least a very good pair of binoculars or a decent
telescope. A Saturn will be more visible
rising from the East SE horizon around 2:00 AM.
However, yellowish white tint will be faint and its rings will
be invisible without a telescope and despite the limited views,
Mars is expected around 4:00 AM. Eastern on June 3rd and you can
view that with no equipment and Mars will shine with a
relatively bright orange light. I suggest.
Trying to see Mars every night if you can to get used to it
before June 3rd. If you can see it in the sky, it
has a a slight orange tint to it now.
Additionally, the moon will be in its waning Crescent phase,
which is the final phase of its monthly cycle, revealing a thin
sliver which is good for viewing of the sky.
If it's a full moon, it brightens up everything.
It's more difficult to see things in the sky if the moon is
full, but if it's a tiny sliver, it'll be much easier to see this
planetary alignment, and early risers will see a lovely waning
Crescent moon hanging low in the eastern sky.
Now, planetary alignments along the elliptical path are not
rare. The Northern Hemisphere last
witnessed such an event on April 8th in 2023, and alignment
involving Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, and Mars on March
28th. You're learning that planetary
alignments are rare, but honestly we get one every few
years now. The future alignments are worth
noting as well, and that's September 8th. 2040.
A rare alignment of Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Mars
will offer better viewing opportunities.
One of the notable planetary alignments occurred in the late
1970s. The four gas giants Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all lined up, allowing the Voyager
spacecraft to conduct flybys, returning remarkable images, and
discovering new moons and rings. Now, on June 3rd, 2024, this is
in a few days, the alignment won't be as historic, but will
still be notable. The six planets will be visible
in a 73° section of the sky, although they won't truly be in
a straight line. Instead, they'll appear
scattered at different paths, depths, positions and distances.
Jupiter and Mercury will appear close near the horizon.
Moving up to the northeast will be Uranus, Mars, Neptune, and
finally Saturn. A Crescent moon will also be
visible amidst the alignment. So look out for the Crescent
moon. It's actually beautiful.
If you have a pair of high-powered binoculars or a
decent telescope, you can get some really great views.
If it's a Crescent moon, you can see the craters and you can see
if you look at the side of the moon, you can see the ridges.
Absolutely spectacular. Now.
Mars and Saturn will be the easiest to spot with the naked
eye. Mercury and Jupiter will be less
conspicuous in Uranus and Neptune will need high-powered
binoculars or a telescope. The best viewing is about 20
minutes before sunrise while looking to the eastern horizon.
For instance, in New York on June 3rd that means about 5 O
6:00 AM and Cape Canaveral where NASA is located 6 O 5:00 AM and
Los Angeles at 5 O 2:00 AM. In other parts of the world the
alignment will be visible before June 3rd in Sao Paulo, Brazil
starts on May 27th, in Mexico May 29th and in Athens June 2nd
and each location will have a narrow pre dawn window for
viewing. Dark skies away from city lights
will offer the best views. Modern light pollution makes
truly dark skies rare but worthwhile for such celestial
events. And despite this initial hype,
the planetary alignment on June 3rd will require effort and some
equipment for optimal viewing, especially for distant planets
like Uranus and Neptune. But I will not stress it enough.
At least go check it out if you can if you're up that early,
because it's a sight to be seen. Hey, thank you so much for
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