What is a planetary alignment?
A planetary alignment is an apparent phenomenon: several planets appear very close together in the sky at the same time, simply because of our viewpoint from Earth. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't mean they are physically in a straight line in space, let alone close to each other. In fact, each planet follows its own orbit around the Sun, and they can be hundreds of millions of kilometres apart.
This alignment happens because all the planets orbit the Sun on roughly the same plane, known as the ecliptic. Since we see that plane projected onto the sky, when several planets meet in the same part of their orbits they seem to group together in a line or arc. It's like looking at a disc from the side rather than from above: you see a line.
In June 2026, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter (and occasionally the Moon) appeared together in the twilight sky for exactly this reason.
It's worth noting that these groupings aren't as rare as they might seem: the planets move constantly along the ecliptic and, several times a year, two or more meet in the same region of the sky to form alignments. However, some planets in our solar system (Uranus and Neptune) aren't bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. What is less common, then, is for several bright planets to be visible at once in good conditions, which is what makes these events so striking.
Where and when to look?
Throughout June, the phenomenon could be seen after sunset, looking towards the west–north-west horizon (W-NW). In the Canary Islands the Sun sets at around 21:00 local time (UTC+1) in mid-June, so the best viewing window was roughly between 21:30 and 22:30 local time. In those hours after sunset the sky gradually darkens and the brightest planets, such as Venus and Jupiter, start to appear. Venus, the brightest object in the sky after the Moon, shone high above the western horizon, with Jupiter very close by. Mercury, much fainter, sat very low towards the W-NW, just a few degrees above the horizon, so a completely clear horizon is essential.
In practice, the planets form a diagonal line across the sky: that projection of the ecliptic we mentioned earlier (the disc seen from the side). As you can see in the image below, the crescent Moon also joined the scene: around 16 June it sat close to Mercury, and on 17 June it appeared near Venus and Jupiter, even occulting Venus.
Figure: simulation of the Tenerife sky at 21:40 on 18 June 2026, using Stellarium software. The planets sit along the line of the ecliptic (in red), forming a planetary parade. The Moon joins in at the top left of the image.
Everything in the solar system is in constant motion, though, so these planets shift noticeably from one night to the next. Keep this in mind when observing the phenomenon:
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Venus: Moves slowly eastwards relative to Jupiter (about 1° per day).
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Jupiter: Barely moves (around 0.1° per day) because of its much slower orbit.
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Mercury: The fastest of the three. It gained height until 15 June, then dropped quickly and disappeared below the horizon.
On the night of 9 June, Venus and Jupiter were only ~1.6° apart. By 14–15 June the gap between Venus and Jupiter had widened by several degrees, and Mercury had climbed a few degrees higher, before sinking earlier and earlier each night.
In short, on the key dates (9–17 June) the three planets could still be seen very close together shortly after sunset, before gradually drifting apart and losing Mercury along the way.
How long will the planetary alignment be visible?
Given all of the above, the three-planet alignment was visible until roughly mid-June. After its best moment around 15 June, Mercury was no longer observable and left the planetary dance. By the end of June it can barely be made out against the brightness of twilight. Venus and Jupiter, on the other hand, remained visible through June, but further and further apart and dropping quickly with the Sun. With the Moon involved, the photogenic display lasted until 17 June. After that date the Moon moved away across the sky (though staying on the line) and Mercury set, so the group broke up. Even so, Venus and Jupiter can be seen until around 12 July, shortly after sunset. They will be quite far apart, but on the same line and within the same field of view.
So although we're now too late to catch Mercury, two of the three planets are still together in the sky — and there's still time to see them! Here are a few tips (for the Canary Islands, at latitude ~28°N) if you want to catch this phenomenon before it's too late:
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Choose a spot with a very clear western horizon, ideally on the coast or at altitude, with nothing in the way (trees, buildings or mountains to the west).
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Start watching 30–60 minutes after sunset (between 21:30 and 22:30 local time), when the sky darkens and the planets stand out best.
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Avoid local light pollution, as the darker the sky the better. That said, Venus and Jupiter are usually very easy to spot, as they're so bright.
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Check the weather forecast. Look for nights with clear skies, especially to the west. High cloud or haze could hide one of the planets
If you've read our previous article, you'll know that Teide National Park is one of the places that ticks all these boxes (and more). It's the perfect place to enjoy this kind of event. It's also where we run our tours, offering the best possible conditions for observing sky events like this one. We keep a close eye on the calendar so we can turn opportunities like these into truly memorable tours. If you missed Mercury and want to catch the next planetary alignment, keep up with our blog and... book one of our tours!
