See an Awesome Celestial Event in Montana Next Month

2024 has been an excellent year for looking up. 

In April, much of the world got to see a solar eclipse. It was the kind of event that people traveled for. Though it was somewhat difficult to see in Montana, there were stories of Montanans traveling to the Midwest, South, and anywhere the eclipse was expected to be visible. Many of the people who described the rare event said that it truly was breathtaking. 

Just last week Montanans and Americans alike were surprised when much of the country experienced a geomagnetic storm that generated incredible Northern Lights. I was one of the many who had never seen the Northern Lights before. I traveled just outside of Missoula to get a better view and watched for about half an hour. I was amazed by the unusual phenomenon. But what was even more unusual was when I came home to Missoula and stepped into my backyard. Despite the light pollution from the city, the Northern Lights were even more beautiful than what I saw just outside of town.  

READ MORE: The Best Places to Stargaze Near Missoula Montana

Now, only weeks later, another celestial event will happen.

Last year, there was an opportunity to see five planets aligned. Now, it looks like six planets will align on June 3. Astronomy.com shares that six planets will be lining up in June with details as to why and what you’ll see in the days leading up to June 3. But “On June 3,” they say, “Jupiter and Uranus have joined the crowd, with all six planets forming a straight line through the pre-dawn sky that stretches from Jupiter...up through Mercury, Uranus, Mars, and Neptune, to Saturn...”  

They say the best time to see the planets will be in the morning about “20 minutes before sunrise” and that some planets won’t be visible without equipment. But it sounds like you don’t have to have a telescope (though that will do the trick) but you can probably see them with binoculars too.