A Spectacular Planetary Parade Is Happening Right Now!

Since January 21, 2025, six planets have been visibly aligned across the night sky. Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn can be seen with the naked eye, while Uranus and Neptune require a powerful telescope. This "planetary parade" is expected to get even more spectacular in February.

On February 3, 2025, a crescent moon will become part of the parade, appearing between Venus and Uranus after sunset. During the following nights, the Moon will pass by Jupiter and Mars before becoming less visible. Mercury will briefly join the party during the final week of February, bringing the total to seven planets.

The planets will be visible till the end of February. But the best time to see them will be the week of January 29, 2025, during the new moon. This is when the skies will be the darkest.

From the Northern Hemisphere, the celestial event can best be observed a few hours after 8:30 pm local time. Venus, Saturn, and Neptune will set around midnight, while Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus will remain visible longer. Mercury's brief appearance will be easiest to spot right at sunset However, tiny planet may be challenging to see since it will be very close to the Sun.

Since the planets orbit the Sun along a similar plane, they often appear to line up. However, we usually cannot see them all at once because they orbit at different speeds. Occasionally, they line up on the same side of the Sun, which is the case this year. Although the planets may appear close together in the night sky, they are actually spread far apart in space.

It is common to see two or three planets lined up in the sky, but the chance to see seven at once does not come around often. It may be worth your time to find a location away from city lights and try to see them all.

“Planets always appear along a line in the sky, so the ‘alignment’ isn’t special,” NASA reported. “What’s less common is seeing four or five bright planets at once, which doesn’t happen every year."

Happy stargazing!

Resources: Accuweather.com, NASA.gov