A rare planetary parade featuring six planets is currently gracing the evening sky. The peak alignment occurs on February 28, the display will remain visible for several days into early March. This intriguing phenomenon often dubbed as a planetary parade isn’t a cosmic spectacle in the way the name suggests. According to astronomers, it is not that such alignments are rare, but they do offer something compelling: a chance to see nearly half the solar system at once.
What is a planetary parade?
A planetary parade occurs when multiple planets are visible in the sky at the same time. Depending on the configuration, that might mean four, five, or even six planets appearing above the horizon simultaneously. A planetary parade isn’t like a ruler-straight line of brighter dots; instead the planets spread out from horizon to horizon. Skygazers can view some planets that may shine brightly, like Venus or Jupiter, while others such as Neptune-are only visible through binoculars or a telescope.
When and how to see the planetary parade
While February 28 is the peak, it is the only day to see the planetary parade. All six planets-namely Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus-are already visible in the night sky and have been for a few days. They appear together in a small window just after sunset. Venus, Mercury, and Neptune sit close to the horizon, setting an hour or two after the sun. Jupiter and Uranus are higher in the night sky and remain visible after the other planets descend toward the west. Notably, these planetary alignments do not create hazardous impact or significantly alter the gravity of our planet, their combined gravitational influence is negligible compared to that of the Moon and Sun.Â
