On August 10, six planets'Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune'will line up in an arc in the night sky. Four of these planets'Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn'can be seen with the naked eye, while Uranus and Neptune will be visible through a very strong pair of skywatching binoculars or a backyard telescope. While August 10 marks the beginning of this planetary parade, these six planets will be visible until the final days of August, when Mercury sinks lower on the horizon and meanders too close to the sun to be observed safely. The next time that all of these planets will be visible together won't be until February 2026, so you won't want to miss this alignment. While this planetary parade starts on the 10th, the best date to view these planets is on the nights leading up to August 23, when there will be little to no moonlight and when Mercury will be at its furthest point from the sun. Moonlight and artificial light can wash out objects in the night sky, so...
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