This January, the seven visible planets will align in the sky in a “planet parade.”
The rare celestial event will start just before Jan. 21, with Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus lining up for several weeks, Business Today reported.
People will be able to view Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn with the naked eye, but a telescope will be needed to see Neptune and Uranus.
The planet parade will form after sunset on Jan. 10, according to the Farmers’ Almanac, and people can view the spectacle by looking south and then scanning the sky from left to right (east to west) to spot each planet.
The planet parade will last from Jan. 21 through Feb. 21, with peak viewing during the week of Jan. 29 due to reduced light pollution from the new moon — offering the clearest views, according to the Business Times.
Venus, Saturn and Neptune will be best seen after sunset but will dip below the horizon by midnight, according to the Business Times, and Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will stay in the sky nearly all night.
Mercury will join the planet parade briefly at the end of February, completing the rare celestial alignment, according to astronomer Dean Regas, as reported in the Farmers’ Almanac, replacing Saturn.
But observing all seven together will be tricky, the Business Times said, as Mercury, Saturn and Neptune will appear low near the Sun.
Saturn will be the first to leave the planet parade around mid-February, with Neptune disappearing in early March and Mercury and Venus departing in mid-March, the Farmers’ Almanac said.
“The planets, Sun and Moon wander in front of the same 12 zodiac constellations like Leo and Gemini during their regular cycles. On occasion, their orbital speeds and positions align,” according to the Almanac. “Planet parades usually happen each year, but some years are more dazzling than others.”
