Watch the alignment of 6 planets on January 21

Planetary observation It’s one of the most stunning ways to witness the magic of the night sky, and there’s no better way to view it than with the planets aligning. This is where multiple planets line up next to each other.

On January 21, six planets — Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune — will be visible in the sky at once, and their alignment will be easy to see from almost all parts of the world. But if you miss your chance to observe the night sky on January 21, don’t worry: There’s plenty of time to see this planetary display.

The alignment will be visible for about a month, until mid-to-late February. However, the positions of the planets will change during this time, so their positions on January 21 will not be the same as their positions in late February.

While a conjunction of two planets is fairly common, alliances of five or more are very rare. There will be another planetary alignment of five or more planets this year, but after that, the next one of five or more planets It won’t happen until 2040.

Here’s everything you need to know to see this planetary alignment.

How to watch

For best vision, allow your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the dark. You’ll need to view this planetary alignment after sunset and from a location far from artificial light, making it difficult to see objects in the night sky.

Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, and Venus will appear in an arc from east to west. You can see four of these planets with your naked eye; However, two of them – Uranus and Neptune – require a good pair of high-powered binoculars or a backyard telescope. The exact place in the night sky to look for each planet on the 21st is outlined below, but if you’re not sure how to find it, don’t worry — there are apps like Stellarium It can help you locate planets and other celestial bodies easily.

When are you watching?

The best time to view the planets is shortly after sunset, because three of them — Venus, Saturn, and Neptune — fall between approximately 9 and 10:30 p.m. local time. Note that the exact times of sunrise and sunset for each planet will vary slightly depending on your location on Earth; You can use a site like Time and date To find the exact time of the place you are located.

It’s best to start observing the sky in the early evening if you can, because Venus, Saturn, and Neptune will move toward the horizon before sunset, so they will become more difficult to see as the evening goes on.

Mars

On January 21, Mars will be in the east, directly under the constellation Gemini. Mars has just reached opposition point – meaning Earth lies directly between it and the sun – so the red planet will appear at its largest and brightest and will be visible all night.

Mars can be easily seen with the naked eye. But if you use a backyard telescope, you’ll be able to see it The Arctic ice cap, which extends more than 600 milesand Valle MarineresIt is the largest valley in the solar system, extending along the equator of Mars and measuring more than 1,800 miles in length.

Jupiter

Jupiter will be west of Mars, in the constellation Taurus. Jupiter can be easily seen with the naked eye. However, a pair of high-powered binoculars will allow you to see Jupiter’s moons and perhaps its cloud clusters.

A backyard telescope will allow you to see the giant planet in greater detail. Look for Jupiter’s cloud bands and its striking red spot, an anticyclone It is over 10,000 miles wide– 1.3 times the width of the Earth. The red spot is not always visible from Earth, because… Jupiter’s days are about 10 hours longWhich means the storm spends a large portion of its time away from the ground on many nights. You can use This calculator is from Sky & Telescope To know when it might be visible from your location.

Jupiter will be visible most of the night: it rises in the mid-to-late afternoon on January 21 and sets between approximately 3 and 5 a.m. on January 22, depending on your exact location.

Uranus

On the 21st, Uranus will be about 50 degrees to the west of Jupiter and slightly below it. It will appear that Uranus is nearby chandelierA bright star cluster that can be seen with the naked eye.

You’ll need high-powered binoculars or a backyard telescope to see Uranus, because it’s too faint to be easily seen with the naked eye. Through this equipment, Uranus looks like a pale blue star. Although Uranus has rings, they are too faint to see, even with viewing equipment. However, if you have a powerful telescope in the backyard, you will likely be able to see its moons.