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This morning’s “parade of planets” proved “underwhelming.” NASA gave a date for an even better and brighter one.
You may have heard about a “parade of planets” that was set to grace the early morning skies on Monday morning with a rare celestial event. But if you missed it, don’t worry – experts say you were misled, and there will be another time soon to better see a planetary lineup.
Talk of the June 3 “parade of planets” seemed to stem from a social media post from the space news site “Latest in Space.” In a May 21 post, Latest in Space said that “in a rare event, six planets will align in a straight line on Monday (June 3) just before sunrise in the northern hemisphere,” claiming that Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus, Mars, Neptune and Saturn “will all be visible.”
Many quickly took it to mean that all of the planets would be visible to the naked eye. But according to the experts, no such “spectacular celestial event” was set to appear this morning.
According to space news site Space.com, planets simply cannot be seen as disks to the naked eye – even the brightest ones will twinkle as stars. The set positioning of the planets this morning also proved problematic to the event, as Mercury and Jupiter “will be very close to the position of the sun in the sky and thus likely will be masked by the brilliant glow of morning twilight,” the website said. The two planets could be visible with binoculars, but one would need a flat horizon and no obstructions to see them, the site said.
Uranus is visible to the naked eye, but only in dark and non-polluted skies, but because it was only set to rise about an hour before sunrise this morning, the sky was already too bright to really see it.
“If you step outside at around 3:30 or 4 a.m. on Monday morning, don’t expect to be awed by the sight of a planet parade,” Space.com said. “What you will likely see is a crescent moon and a bright orange ‘star’ shining to its right (Mars) and farther off to the right will be another relatively bright ‘star’ glowing with a yellowish-white hue (Saturn).”
The website also noted that while seeing such a parade would be rare, planets aligning isn’t a rare event as they are all on an orbital plane.
NASA has also confirmed that Monday morning’s alignment wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be.
“In reality, only two of the six planets supposedly on display (Saturn and Mars) will actually be visible,” NASA said. “In early June, Jupiter and Mercury will be at or below the horizon in morning twilight and not visible; Uranus and Neptune are far too faint to see without a telescope, especially as the morning sky brightens.”
The closest thing to a “parade of planets” will happen on June 29, NASA said, when Saturn, the moon, Mars, and Jupiter will line up in the morning.
Space.com also noted another planetary lineup that’s set for next winter. According to the site, the moon, Saturn, Venus and Jupiter will be aglow in the early evening sky on Jan. 31, 2025, and/or Feb. 1. Mars will also be visible and “more than six times brighter than it appears to us now.”
“Compared to all that, the ballyhooed “Parade of Planets” on June 3 can best be described with a single word: underwhelming,” the site said.
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How to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears NFL game today: Livestream options, more
The Minnesota Vikings will take on the Chicago Bears today. The Vikings are currently 8-2, an impressive run so far this season, and will be looking to add a fourth win to their current streak after last Sunday’s 23-13 win against the Tennessee Titans. The Bears, on the other hand, are entering this game on the heels of a four-game losing streak after a tough 20-19 loss against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday.
Here’s how and when you can watch the Vikings vs. Bears game today, whether or not you have cable.
How and when to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears
The Vikings vs. Bears game will be played on Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT). The game will air on Fox and stream on Fubo and the platforms featured below.
How and when to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears game without cable
You can watch this week’s NFL game on Fox via several streaming services. All you need is an internet connection and one of the top options outlined below.
Fubo offers you an easy, user-friendly way to watch NFL games on CBS, Fox, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network, plus NCAA football channels. The Pro tier includes 200+ channels and unlimited DVR, while the Elite with Sports Plus tier adds NFL RedZone and 4K resolution. New subscribers get a seven-day free trial and all plans allow streaming on up to 10 screens simultaneously.
You can watch today’s game with a subscription to Sling’s Orange + Blue tier, which includes ESPN, ABC, NBC, and Fox. The plan offers 46 channels with local NFL games, nationally broadcast games and 50 hours of DVR storage. For complete NFL coverage, add Paramount+ to get CBS games, or upgrade with the Sports Extra add-on for additional sports channels like Golf Channel, NBA TV and NFL RedZone.
Watching NFL games, including Fox broadcasts, is simple with Hulu + Live TV, which includes 90 channels, unlimited DVR storage, and access to NFL preseason games, live regular season games and studio shows. The service includes ESPN+ and Disney+ in the subscription.
Want to watch today’s game live on your smartphone? If so, NFL+ streaming service is the solution you’re looking for. It lets you watch NFL Network and out-of-market games on mobile devices, with an upgrade option to NFL+ Premium that includes NFL RedZone for watching up to eight games simultaneously. Note that NFL+ only works on phones and tablets, not TVs.