The best week is to see all the seven planets in a spectacular parade on the planet

If you have any interest in Skygazing, this is your week. A stunning parade on the planet is already visible in the night sky. The parade of the planet is when several of the planets of our solar system are visible in the night sky at the same time. All seven planets will be visible this time around, which means Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Neptune and Uranus. (The Earth, of course, is the eighth planet and the poor Pluto was downgraded in 2006 and is now considered a dwarf planet.)

Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury and Saturn should be visible to the naked eye. You will need a high power supply as a telescope to notice Neptune and Uranus.

The best time to view the planets from the Northern Hemisphere will be just after sunset around 8:30 pm local time. You may still be able to catch Venus, Mercury, Saturn and Neptune on the horizon afterwards, but these planets will be below the horizon by 11:30 pm until midnight, depending on your location. Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will then remain visible for a few more hours, with Mars finally adjusting just before sunrise.

By the time March begins, Mercury, Saturn and Neptune would head too close to the sun to be easily visible with Venus not far away, leaving Jupiter, Mars and Uranus to inhabit the night sky until the next parade begins.

Will my region see the Planet Parade?

Most, if not all, places in the US, Canada and Mexico should be able to see the planetary parade this time around due to their long length and limited planetary movement. We checked observatories in California, Texas, Ohio and New York in the United States, along with Calgary in Canada and Mexico City, Mexico, and we were able to find all six planets in any place, so it doesn’t matter how much north, east or south Go, you’ll be able to see it.

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They will be there as soon as the sun sets. Once it is dark, you will only have a few hours to see them before Venus, Saturn and Neptune Dip below the horizon for the evening. This applies regardless of location, so no matter where you are, everything happens at about the same time.

In the last few days of February, Mercury appeared and the parade has increased to seven planets. This will be viewed best at sunset and it will be more difficult to see while the sun is still on the horizon.

Will I need special equipment to see the parade?

Technically yes. You will be able to notice Venus, Mars, Jupiter and potential Saturn with the naked eye under the right conditions. However, Neptune and Uranus are just too far to notice. Astronomers note that you will probably need a telescope with at least an 8-inch aperture at a 50-fold increase to see Uranus and its rings and 150 times an increase to see Neptune and its rings. If you are so equipped, give this telescope a point in Saturn. At a 25 -fold increase you will be able to see Crown jewel of our solar system In all its glory.

Standard rules for viewing space are applied here. You will want to get out of the city where light pollution can pollute your opinion. Even the suburbs may not be far enough for many people. If you are planning a long driving from the city and its environment, you will want to make sure that this is a clear night with the slightest cloud cover.

How can I find the planets in the sky?

Given that Neptune and Uranus are especially difficult to find paired with the fact that Saturn and Venus will be right next to each other, there may be some difficulties in finding all six planets in the sky.

There are some good tools for this. See Stellarium websitetogether with Map of the night sky of time and dateS They should give you a good idea of ​​where each planet is in connection with the others. Star Walk 2 is an excellent app Android and iOSS Stellarium has its own Android and iOS apps also.

What is a planetary parade?

Planetary Parade is conversational term This is applied when four or more planets are arranged in the night sky at one time. This is not an official term for astronomy, so you will rarely hear how astronomers use it. However, NASA is known to refer to the phenomenon as a “Planet Parade”.

The official term is planetary alignment, although this term tends to sow a little confusion. Some interpretations of the phrase include planets that are arranged on the same side of the sun, all to the other. The planets can never be completely arranged, as you can see in photos, but they can all be on the same side of the sun and relatively close to the arrangement.

In everyday use, however, planetary parades and levels are the same thing and simply describe when several planets in the night sky are visible in the night sky. These planets can be nowhere close to each other in their sunny orbits, but they are visible from the point of view of the Earth.