Six planets will align visually across the United States sky before dawn on Wednesday, Aug. 12, creating an early morning planetary parade.
The observation window will begin approximately 45 to 25 minutes before local sunrise. Observers should head outside early and look toward an unobstructed eastern horizon.
The event will visually gather Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Uranus, Saturn, and Neptune along an arc across the sky. The planets will not form a perfect straight line or align physically in space, as the phenomenon is an apparent alignment viewed from Earth.
Observation windows will vary across the country based on local geographic location and sunrise times. Pre-dawn twilight on Aug. 12 will provide the best viewing conditions. In New York, the reference viewing window runs from 5:18 a.m. to 5:34 a.m. local time, while Los Angeles observers can view the event between 5:28 a.m. and 5:46 a.m. local time.
Observers should arrive at their viewing site at least one hour before sunrise. This extra time allows eyes to adjust to darkness, permits checking the horizon, and helps locate planets before sunlight reduces sky contrast. The date coincides with a New Moon, providing darker skies before dawn. NASA also noted that the night of Aug. 12 to Aug. 13 will be favorable for observing the Perseids meteor shower, an independent event best seen at night.
State Observation Schedule
Viewing windows across all 50 states are calculated for the period 45 to 25 minutes before sunrise, using each state capital as a baseline reference. Times may vary by several minutes for cities located east, west, north, or south of the reference capital:
- Alabama (Montgomery): 5:21 a.m. to 5:41 a.m. CDT
- Alaska (Juneau): 4:27 a.m. to 4:47 a.m. AKDT
- Arizona (Phoenix): 5:03 a.m. to 5:23 a.m. MST
- Arkansas (Little Rock): 5:42 a.m. to 6:02 a.m. CDT
- California (Sacramento): 5:32 a.m. to 5:52 a.m. PDT
- Colorado (Denver): 5:23 a.m. to 5:43 a.m. MDT
- Connecticut (Hartford): 5:10 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. EDT
- Delaware (Dover): 5:27 a.m. to 5:47 a.m. EDT
- Florida (Tallahassee): 6:16 a.m. to 6:36 a.m. EDT
- Georgia (Atlanta): 6:12 a.m. to 6:32 a.m. EDT
- Hawaii (Honolulu): 5:23 a.m. to 5:43 a.m. HST
- Idaho (Boise): 6:00 a.m. to 6:20 a.m. MDT
- Illinois (Springfield): 5:22 a.m. to 5:42 a.m. CDT
- Indiana (Indianapolis): 6:08 a.m. to 6:28 a.m. EDT
- Iowa (Des Moines): 5:34 a.m. to 5:54 a.m. CDT
- Kansas (Topeka): 5:48 a.m. to 6:08 a.m. CDT
- Kentucky (Frankfort): 6:06 a.m. to 6:26 a.m. EDT
- Louisiana (Baton Rouge): 5:44 a.m. to 6:04 a.m. CDT
- Maine (Augusta): 4:53 a.m. to 5:13 a.m. EDT
- Maryland (Annapolis): 5:31 a.m. to 5:51 a.m. EDT
- Massachusetts (Boston): 5:02 a.m. to 5:22 a.m. EDT
- Michigan (Lansing): 5:56 a.m. to 6:16 a.m. EDT
- Minnesota (Saint Paul): 5:25 a.m. to 5:45 a.m. CDT
- Mississippi (Jackson): 5:37 a.m. to 5:57 a.m. CDT
- Missouri (Jefferson City): 5:34 a.m. to 5:54 a.m. CDT
- Montana (Helena): 5:37 a.m. to 5:57 a.m. MDT
- Nebraska (Lincoln): 5:48 a.m. to 6:08 a.m. CDT
- Nevada (Carson City): 5:24 a.m. to 5:44 a.m. PDT
- New Hampshire (Concord): 5:02 a.m. to 5:22 a.m. EDT
- New Jersey (Trenton): 5:21 a.m. to 5:41 a.m. EDT
- New Mexico (Santa Fe): 5:35 a.m. to 5:55 a.m. MDT
- New York (Albany): 5:13 a.m. to 5:33 a.m. EDT
- North Carolina (Raleigh): 5:45 a.m. to 6:05 a.m. EDT
- North Dakota (Bismarck): 5:51 a.m. to 6:11 a.m. CDT
- Ohio (Columbus): 5:55 a.m. to 6:15 a.m. EDT
- Oklahoma (Oklahoma City): 6:01 a.m. to 6:21 a.m. CDT
- Oregon (Salem): 5:25 a.m. to 5:45 a.m. PDT
- Pennsylvania (Harrisburg): 5:30 a.m. to 5:50 a.m. EDT
- Rhode Island (Providence): 5:05 a.m. to 5:25 a.m. EDT
- South Carolina (Columbia): 5:58 a.m. to 6:18 a.m. EDT
- South Dakota (Pierre): 5:55 a.m. to 6:15 a.m. CDT
- Tennessee (Nashville): 5:17 a.m. to 5:37 a.m. CDT
- Texas (Austin): 6:11 a.m. to 6:31 a.m. CDT
- Utah (Salt Lake City): 5:49 a.m. to 6:09 a.m. MDT
- Vermont (Montpelier): 5:04 a.m. to 5:24 a.m. EDT
- Virginia (Richmond): 5:37 a.m. to 5:57 a.m. EDT
- Washington (Olympia): 5:19 a.m. to 5:39 a.m. PDT
- West Virginia (Charleston): 5:53 a.m. to 6:13 a.m. EDT
- Wisconsin (Madison): 5:14 a.m. to 5:34 a.m. CDT
- Wyoming (Cheyenne): 5:20 a.m. to 5:40 a.m. MDT
Visibility and Equipment Requirements
Brightness, light pollution, and distance from the horizon affect visibility for each planet. Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn will be the easiest targets for beginners without equipment.
Jupiter will be visible to the naked eye as one of the brightest celestial objects. Mars will be visible to the naked eye under favorable conditions, while Saturn will appear to the naked eye as a yellowish dot.
Mercury will sit low on the horizon and requires an unobstructed line of sight. Uranus requires binoculars, while Neptune requires a telescope to distinguish clearly. Identifying all six planets requires optical equipment.
Viewing Guidelines and Location Selection
Observers should choose a dark, safe location free of buildings, hills, trees, or city lights blocking the eastern horizon. Open beaches, elevated lookouts, wide parks, or city outskirts are suitable locations if weather permits.
Anyone using binoculars must avoid pointing them toward the horizon when the Sun is about to rise or already above the horizon, as looking at the Sun through optics without proper filters can cause severe eye injuries. Sky map apps can help locate Uranus and Neptune, but observers should verify positions against the physical sky.
The planets will spread along the ecliptic, which is the apparent path followed by the Sun, Moon, and planets. Viewers should expect an arc across the sky rather than a straight line.
