Easy methods to See the February 2025 ‘Parade of Planets’

• Seven planets will likely be visibly within the evening sky on Feb. 28.
• Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars will likely be seen with the bare eye.
• Neptune and Uranus are each out, too, however you’ll want a telescope to identify them. Saturn will likely be within the sky shortly after sundown.

A planetary parade that’s been dazzling astronomers and beginner stargazers alike since January is nearing its epic closing show—however you’ll have to be in the proper place on the proper time to catch it in all its glory. 

On Feb. 28, seven planets—Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Mercury, and Saturn—will all grace the early night sky. Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars will likely be simple to identify with the bare eye, whereas Uranus and Neptune would require binoculars or a small telescope.

The trickiest member of this entourage is Saturn, which can be seen just for a brief window proper after sundown, relying in your location and sky situations. That mentioned, this celestial spectacle is a world occasion, so chances are high good that situations will likely be good someplace for this uncommon planetary gathering to shine. 

What’s a “Parade of Planets”? 

Along with “planet parade,” this occasion can be described as a “planetary alignment.” However “parade” is the extra acceptable time period as a result of the planets are by no means completely aligned on one facet of the solar. We see them this manner from Earth as a result of all of them orbit the solar in almost the identical flat “disk” of house referred to as the ecliptic airplane. This makes the planets seem to comply with the identical path throughout the sky (the ecliptic), and when a number of cluster up collectively we get a “planetary alignment.”

“Bodily, there’s no precise alignment occurring,” Kate Pattle, an astrophysicist at College School London, advised CNN throughout a planet parade in June 2024. “It’s simply that many of the planets are roughly on the identical facet of the solar in the meanwhile. If the planets truly aligned with one another in house, that may be referred to as a syzygy, and that’s a a lot, a lot rarer occasion.”

Easy methods to catch February’s planet parade

Seeing all seven planets collectively on the night of Feb. 28 goes to take some precision timing and excellent situations. Even when the climate is respectable (which for February is at all times a wildcard), you’ll want an unobstructed view (no mountains, timber, buildings, and many others.) of the western horizon to catch all seven on the similar time. It is because Saturn, simply seen on darkish nights, will likely be setting very shut after sundown and can seem dim within the night twilight. There’ll probably solely be a window of 20 to half-hour that you just’ll be capable of spot this departing member of the parade of planets earlier than it dips under the horizon. 

On the plus facet, a New Moon will coincide with this planetary parade, giving approach to exceptionally darkish skies for viewing dim objects like Uranus and Neptune. Even when you don’t have entry to binoculars or a telescope, it’s best to nonetheless be capable of simply spot Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars. 

Whereas planetary parades aren’t significantly uncommon, having this many planets collectively in the identical common part of the sky is particular. In actual fact, our subsequent finest shot will likely be in September 2040, when 5 naked-eye planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) will align with a crescent moon.

So seize your binoculars, discover a clear horizon, and don’t miss your probability to witness this planetary spectacle!