Tonight, you can marvel at six planets in a stunning planetary display

The year 2025 is starting with a bang for skygazers, with a planetary display coming to the skies tonight, January 21. A planetary display occurs when many of our solar system’s planets are visible in the night sky at the same time. There will be six planets visible this time, including Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus.

The six planets were visible in the days immediately preceding January 21, and for four weeks afterward. Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn should be visible with the naked eye. You will need a high-powered viewing device such as a telescope to observe Neptune and Uranus.

The best time to view the planets from the Northern Hemisphere will be just after sunset at around 8:30 PM local time. You may still be able to see Venus, Saturn, and Neptune on the horizon after that, but all three planets will be below the horizon by 11:30 p.m. to midnight depending on your location. After that, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will remain visible for a few more hours with Mars finally setting just before sunrise.

Unlike Previous marchesthis is set to continue for a long time due to the planets being in advantageous places in the sky. You should be able to see the six planets at night until the last week or so of February.

Next, the Seven Planets Parade will begin as Mercury will briefly join the other planets in the sky for a few days, turning this into a planetary parade of all seven planets in our solar system except Earth. It will be difficult to see them all since Saturn, Mercury, and Neptune will be very close to the sun right around sunset, but they will be there.

By the time March rolls around, Mercury, Saturn and Neptune will have drifted too close to the Sun to be easily seen with Venus not far away, leaving Jupiter, Mars and Uranus to fill the night sky until the next show begins.

Will my region see the planet’s width?

Most, if not all, locations in the United States, Canada and Mexico should be able to see the planetary display this time thanks to its long length and limited planetary motion. We examined observatories in California, Texas, Ohio and New York in the United States, along with Calgary in Canada and Mexico City, Mexico. We were able to find all six planets in each location, so no matter how north, east, west or south you look, you’ll be able to see them.

In general, the best time to view the planet’s display will be after January 21, and before February 21. The best time would be the week of January 29 during the new moon. (As we are Explanation in this story(A new moon is a shadowed moon, making it appear as if the moon has disappeared.) The shadowed moon will reduce light pollution in the sky and make it easier to spot Neptune, Uranus, and Saturn.

Read more: Explaining full moons, from blue moons to giant moons to lunar phases

You won’t have to wait long until the six planets are in the sky. They’ll be there as soon as the sun goes down. Once darkness falls, you’ll only have a few hours to view them before Venus, Saturn, and Neptune dip below the horizon in 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 be visible and the display will increase to seven planets. It will be best seen right at sunset and will be difficult to see while the sun is still on the horizon.

Will I need any special equipment to watch the show?

Technically yes. You’ll be able to see Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and possibly Saturn with the naked eye under the right conditions. However, Neptune and Uranus are too far away to be observed. Astronomers noticed You will likely need a telescope with an aperture of at least 8 inches with 50x magnification to see Uranus and its rings, and 150x magnification to see Neptune and its rings. If you’re so equipped, give the telescope a point at Saturn. When magnified 25 times, you will be able to see The crown jewel of our solar system In all its glory.

Standard space width rules also apply here. You’ll want to stay away from the city, where light pollution can blur your vision. Even the suburbs may not be far enough for many people. If you’re planning a long drive outside the city and surrounding areas, you’ll want to make sure it’s a clear night with as little cloud cover as possible.

If you’re heading out to see the seven planets at the end of February, you’ll have a particularly difficult task as a few of the planets will be fairly close to the sun. You could You want to invest in UV protection for your eyes And be especially careful about where you point your telescope.

How can I find planets in the sky?

Since Neptune and Uranus are particularly difficult to find and the fact that Saturn and Venus will be next to each other, there may be some difficulty finding all six planets in the sky. For this, there are a few good tools available. Payment Stellarium websitealong with Night sky map for time and date. This should give you a good idea of ​​the position of each planet in relation to the other planets. Star Walk 2 is an excellent app Android and iOS. Stellarium has its own advantages Android and iOS apps also.

What is a planetary parade?

The parade of planets is Slang term This applies when four or more planets line up in the night sky at the same time. It’s not an official term in astronomy, so you rarely hear astronomers use it. but, NASA has known To refer to the phenomenon as a “parade of planets”.

The official term is planetary alignment, although this term tends to sow a bit of confusion. Some interpretations of this phrase include the planets being lined up on the same side of the sun next to each other. The planets cannot line up exactly perfectly as you see in the images, but they can all be on the same side of the sun and relatively close to alignment.

However, in everyday usage, planetary displays 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 to each other in their solar orbits but are visible from Earth’s perspective.