The sky has really been treating us lately – from the Northern Lights reaching the peak of their 11-year cycle (meaning they’ll be at their most visible between now and the summer), to all these other marvellous stargazing events taking place in 2025, there’s a lot to look up for right now.
And the next celestial event is a 7-strong planet parade which, depending on your location, will be visible from dusk today. It’s a pretty rare phenomenon which won’t take place again until September 2040, so read on for how, when and where to take in this wondrous planetary display.
What is the Planet Parade?
A planet parade is when all the planets in our solar system align and are visible at once, and a seven-strong lineup has been gradually moving into position since January. So, from today (depending on where you are in the world), Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Mercury and Saturn will be visible.
According to the New York Times, when planets are visible in the sky they tend to appear in a near perfect line. This is known as the ecliptic (the same one the sun travels along throughout the daytime) and it happens because all planets orbit around the sun on the same plane.
Dr Gerard van Belle, director of science at Lowell Observatory in Arizona, compared the configuration to a vinyl record, with the sun in the middle and the grooves in the disk representing the orbits of the other planets.
Any planet parade where between three and eight planets are visible is considered a significant one. Five-planet parades are common, six-planet ones are rarer, but a seven-planet one is particularly special, according to Spokesman Recorder.
When can I see the parade of planets in 2025?
Unlike a solar eclipse, which follows a very specific path of totality, the planet parade will be visible from pretty much anywhere in the world. Mexico and the US will have the best visibility today (February 25) and the UK and Europe will be able to see it on February 28 (read our guide on how to see the planet parade in the UK here). On the other side of the world in locations like India, China and Australia, the best visibility will be early next week, on March 3.
How to see the planet parade?
It’s going to be pretty essential that you go to a dark location without too much light pollution, as this can seriously disrupt visibility. Dusk will be the best time. Oh, and fingers crossed for clear skies.
In terms of where to look, NASA has said that Mercury will sit just above the horizon, Venus will be to the west (and will be shining the brightest), as will Saturn, while Mars will be in the east and Jupiter high overhead. Uranus and Neptune will likely not be visible to the naked eye, so time to dust off your telescope, if you have one.
It might be worth downloading an app such as Stellarium, which astronomers recommend using to help you work out where to look.
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