Though the planets are always “aligned,” seeing more than four in the sky is more uncommon. February’s lineup is a chance to glimpse all seven in one sweeping view.
The night sky will feature a parade of its own in the coming weeks, with several planets visible for sky watchers to enjoy.
Known as the "Parade of Planets," the celestial event will feature appearances from Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune and Saturn through the end of January, according to Farmer's Almanac. Mercury will emerge in the night sky at the end of February, replacing Saturn.
To help people view the parade, Mr Dury has shared photographs detailing where the planets are appearing in the sky. "The bright planets will certainly be visible like Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars. "For the dimmer planets, Uranus and Neptune, you may want to use a pair of binoculars or a small telescope to see those," he said.
An extraordinary astronomical phenomenon will illuminate the sky as stargazers are urged to look up to catch a glimpse of the event.
Baker said that there are other astronomical events that may be more interesting than the parade of planets. Baker said Mars and Jupiter would be best to see through a telescope right now. Mars is the closest it will be to Earth in the last two years, meaning the red planet will appear larger in the night sky.
All month, four planets — Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars — will appear to line up and be bright enough to see with the naked eye in the first few hours after dark, according to NASA. Uranus and Neptune will be there, too, but will require binoculars ...
The best time to see this row of planets is on Friday evening (January 31) at 6.45pm UK time, according to Starwatch. If stargazers join up Venus, Jupiter and Saturn and Mars with an imaginary line in the sky, this will reveal the ecliptic path that the Sun, Moon and planets all follow.
Planetary alignments aren't rare, but they can be when they involve six of the eight planets in our solar system.
Venus and Saturn will be in conjunction this weekend, appearing side by side in the night sky during January's post-sunset "planet parade."
Planetary Parade A rare alignment of Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Uranus, and Neptune is visible this month and into early February. Peak viewing occurs on January 29, coinciding with the new moon for darker skies.
The new moon of January will be at 7:36 a.m. Eastern Time on Jan. 29, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory, and two days later a young moon will pass near Saturn and near Venus as they cluster together in the evening sky.