Mars nears Pleiades in rare June 2026 sky event as nova star also predicted
On the morning of Sunday 28 June 2026, the planet Mars will pass within 4.3 degrees of the Pleiades star cluster, creating a striking visual alignment that will not occur again until 2034. Astronomers advise observers to look eastward about an hour before sunrise for the best view, when the red‑tinted planet will appear close to the open cluster M45.
A few days earlier, on 27 June, the near‑Earth asteroid (152637) 1997 NC1 will fly past at roughly 2.6 million km—about seven times the Earth‑Moon distance—posing no threat but offering another chance for sky‑watchers.
Additionally, NASA scientists note that the recurrent nova system T Coronae Borealis could erupt again, with one of the four possible brightening windows falling on 25 June 2026. If such an outburst occurs, the star could brighten to magnitude +2, rivaling Polaris and becoming visible to the naked eye for several nights.