Look up tomorrow! Mars and Venus will both shine brightly in the night sky on the Summer Solstice – here’s how to see them

Lucky stargazers may catch sight of two planets tomorrow after many head out to celebrate the annual summer solstice.

As Wednesday officially marks the first day of summer, Mars and Venus will shine brightly in the night sky – just a month before they are set to align with Mercury in a mini ‘planetary parade’. 

The summer solstice takes place when the Earth’s tilt towards the Sun is at its peak, making tomorrow the longest day of the year.

Venus, Mars and the moon will be visible to those in London as they head towards the western horizon at around 10pm GMT, according to Stellarium charts.

But US-based starwatchers may be waiting a while longer to clearly see the trio as  darkness kicks in at around 3am CST.

Two solstice events take place every year, with a ‘summer solstice’ in June and a ‘winter solstice’ each December.

Right now, the Sun is located above the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern hemisphere, which is the northernmost latitude it reaches each year.

Meanwhile, the North Pole is also tilted greatly towards the Sun, stretching out the number of daylight hours experienced by more northerly countries. 

On June 21, the UK could experience more than 16 hours of daylight, while the Arctic will likely experience a ‘polar day’ of complete light for 24 hours. 

By contrast, more southerly nations will experience their shortest day of the year with drastically less hours of light.

While Venus and Mars should be visible once the darkness kicks in, it is important to bring along binoculars or a telescope to a good stargazing spot.

NASA also recommends checking the weather forecast ahead of time to find a cloudless area.

This should also provide an unobstructed view of the horizon, avoiding buildings and any blaring city lights.

To differentiate between stars and planets, watchers should look for objects that don’t twinkle amid the flickering stars.

The June solstice occurs at the moment when the Earth’s tilt towards the Sun is at its peak, making tomorrow the longest day of the year

Reports suggest that many will also get the chance to view the Moon’s eerie Da Vinci glow 

But if you miss out on the spectacle – don’t worry.

Another spectacle will take place in the coming days, with the Moon expected to give off an eerie Da Vinci glow.

This phenomenon is aptly named after the acclaimed Italian researcher who solved its mystery more than 500 years ago.

It takes place when sunlight is reflected from Earth onto the Moon’s surface, then once more into our eyes.

Professor Don Pollacco, University of Warwick Department of Physics, explained: ‘When the Moon is a thin crescent you can often see the dark part of moon shining faintly. 

‘At first glance this may seem quite mysterious as the crescent is the part of the Moon that is illuminated by the sun – so where does the light from the unilluminated part of the Moon come from? 

‘In fact what we are seeing is light from the Earth being reflected back from the Moon! Hence the name Earthshine.’