Six planets to line up in sky tonight in rare space showcase

A RARE alignment of six planets - Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Neptune and Saturn - is set to occur in the skies tonight.

Thecosmic phenomenon will be partially visible and here's how you can best view it.

According to experts, the upcoming alignment will be tricky to spot - but not impossible.

The rare alignment will take place in the night sky from June 3 into June 4, though part of it will be hidden behind the horizon.

But Mars and Saturn will be the easiest to see with the naked eye, experts expect.

The best chance of seeing any of it is before sunrise, which will happen between 4.30am and 5am in the UK.

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It's a similar story in the United States, where you'll want to look up between 30 and 60 minutes before sunrise.

In New York City, sunrise will be 5.26am on June 4, or 5.42am in Los Angeles.

So it'll be an early wake-up if you want to catch a good view of the alignment.

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This visual phenomenon differs from anastronomical alignment, where planets gathersimultaneously on the same side of the sun.

Those hoping to see the display will only be able to do so if they have a clear sky and anearly flat western horizon.

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By Millie Turner, Technology & Science Reporter

Planet alignments aren't extremely rare, especially with between two to four planets.

These types of alignments actually happen several times each year.

The last planetary alignment seen in the Northern Hemisphere was on 8 April, when the moon aligned with the sun in a solar eclipse.

But five or more planets aligning is a rarer event.

The next time us earthlings will be able to enjoy the sight of six planets in alignment will be 18 January, 2025.

Only then will Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and Saturn parade together in the sky again.

Other alignments are even rarer than that.

A Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune arrangement occurs roughly every 175 years - so truly a once in a lifetime sight.

It's more unlikely to see all eight main planets in the same part of the sky.

This display is so rare, it occurs just once every few thousands years, with the last recorded event in 94 C.E.

"Jupiter and even Mercury are very close to the Sun, restricting their view.

"Mars and Saturn are the more accessible ones to view, you can see them ahead of the other planets rising and a bit higher in the sky."

To help identify the planets, Steeghs recommends using an app to guide you.