Kiwis can look to the early morning skies this month and see five planets and eventually the moon in alignment.
In a rare display, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will align, along with the moon, in sequential order from the sun.
Stardome Observatory astronomy educator Josh Aoraki said it's "quite special" to be occurring in the same month as Matariki.
He told 1News stargazers should be able to spot the planets with the naked eye or binoculars around 30 minutes before sunrise. It's best to check when the sun will rise in your area to be safe.
Got photos of the planetary alignment you'd like to share? Email kendall.hutt@tvnz.co.nz
Saturn, Mars, Venus and Jupiter have been moving closer together in the sky since March in preparation for the alignment. Stargazers captured this last month.
Aoraki said the five-planetary alignment begins as early as Friday, with Mercury joining the other four low on the horizon in the early morning.
Binoculars and an unobstructed view will at first be needed to spot our solar system’s smallest planet, but as the month wears on, it will climb higher in the sky and grow brighter, so it should be seen by the naked eye.
Aoraki says Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will stretch in a "beautiful" line from the east towards the west.
By the end of June, all the planets will be in alignment, with the moon, then a waning crescent, joining in on the morning of June 24 for one day only.
The moon will continue its orbit around the Earth, moving out of alignment with the planets within a few days.
Next month, Aoraki said stargazers can look forward to a supermoon in mid-July and the Delta Aquariid meteor shower. He said people should be able to see up to 20 meteors per hour during the shower if they're in a dark sky area.
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