Tonight you can enjoy six planets in a spectacular parade of the planets

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2025 is starting with a bang for sky watchers, with a parade of planets coming across the sky tonight, January 21st. A planet parade is when several of our solar system’s planets are visible in the night sky at the same time. This time there will be six visible planets including Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus.

The six planets were visible in the days immediately leading up to January 21 and for about four weeks thereafter. Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn should be visible to the naked eye. You’ll need a high-powered observing device like a telescope to spot Neptune and Uranus.

The best time to view the planets from the Northern Hemisphere will be just after sunset around 8:30 p.m. local time. You may still be able to catch Venus, Saturn and Neptune on the horizon after this, but all three planets will be below the horizon from 11.30pm to midnight depending on your location. Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus will then remain visible for several more hours, with Mars finally setting just before sunrise.

Unlike previous paradesthis one will last quite a long time as the planets are in favorable positions in the sky. You should be able to see all six planets every night until the last week of February.

Then the parade of the seven planets will begin, as Mercury will briefly join the others in the sky for a few days, making this a planetary parade of all seven planets in our solar system other than Earth. It will be hard to see them all as Saturn, Mercury and Neptune will be quite close to the sun right at sunset, but they will be there.

By the time March begins, Mercury, Saturn and Neptune will have moved too close to the sun to be easily visible with Venus not far behind, leaving Jupiter, Mars and Uranus to populate the night sky until the next parade begins.

Will my region see the planet parade?

From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated.

Most, if not all, locations in the US, Canada and Mexico should be able to see the planetary parade this time thanks to its long length and limited planetary motion. We checked observatories in California, Texas, Ohio and New York in the US, along with Calgary in Canada and Mexico City, Mexico. We were able to find all six planets in every location, so it doesn’t matter how far north, east, west or south you go, you’ll be able to see it.

In general, the best time to watch the planet parade will be after January 21st and before February 21st. The best time will be the week of January 29th during the new moon. (Like us explained in this storya new moon is a shadow moon, which makes it look like the moon is gone.) A shadow moon will reduce light pollution in the sky and make Neptune, Uranus, and Saturn easier to spot.

Read more: Full moons explained, from blue moons to supermoons to moon phases

You won’t have to wait long for the six planets to be in the sky. They will be there as soon as the sun goes down. After dark, you’ll 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 roughly the same time.

During the last few days of February, Mercury will make an appearance and the parade will increase to seven planets. This will be best seen just at sunset and will be harder to see while the sun is still on the horizon.

From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated.

Will I need special equipment to watch the parade?

Technically yes. You will be able to spot Venus, Mars, Jupiter and potentially Saturn with the naked eye under the right conditions. However, Neptune and Uranus are simply too far away to notice. Astronomers note that you will most likely need a telescope with at least an 8-inch aperture at 50x magnification to see Uranus and its rings, and 150x magnification to see Neptune and its rings. If you’re so equipped, point that telescope at Saturn. At 25x magnification you will be able to see the jewel in the crown of our solar system in all its glory.

The standard rules for viewing space also apply here. You’ll want to escape the city where light pollution can blur your view. Even the suburbs may not be far enough for many people. If you’re planning a long trip outside of the city and its environs, you’ll want to make sure it’s a clear night with as little cloud cover as possible.

If you head out to see all seven planets in late February, you’ll have a particularly tough task ahead of you, as some of the planets will be quite close to the sun. You can you want to invest in UV protection for your eyes and be extra careful where you point your telescope.

How can I find the planets in the sky?

Given that Neptune and Uranus are particularly hard to find, combined with the fact that Saturn and Venus will be right next to each other, there may be some difficulty in finding all six planets in the sky. There are several good tools available for this. Check it out The Stellarium websitetogether with Time and date night sky map. These should give you a good idea of ​​where each planet is in relation to the others. Star Walk 2 is an excellent app for Android and iOS. Stellarium has its own Android and apps for iOS as well.

What is a planetary parade?

It’s a planetary parade colloquial term this applies when four or more planets line up in the night sky at the same time. It’s not an official astronomical term, so you’ll rarely hear astronomers use it. however NASA is famous to name the phenomenon “parade of the planets”.

The official term is planetary alignment, although this term tends to cause a bit of confusion. Some interpretations of the phrase include the planets lining up on the same side of the sun, right next to each other. The planets can never line up perfectly exactly as you see in the pictures, but they can all be on the same side of the sun and relatively close to lining up.

In everyday use, however, planetary parades and alignments are the same thing and simply describe when there are several planets visible in the night sky at the same time. These planets may not be close together in their solar orbits, but they are visible from Earth’s perspective.



 
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