Star-gazers and space-lovers, gather round – you’re going to want to hear this. In what could be one of the greatest planetary displays we’ve seen in years; all of the other seven planets will be gracing the night sky at the very same time this week in a truly spectacular ‘planet parade’.
Although not an official astrological term, a planet parade refers to the event in which four or more planets appear to line up in the night sky at the same time. Whilst planets aligning isn’t in itself a wildly rare event, being able to feast your eyes on seven planets at the exact same time is a pretty remarkable occurrence. Six planets have been aligned since mid-January, but they’ve all been waiting for Mercury to join the chat. And the time is finally here, folks.
Which planets will be visible?
This week (February 25 – February 28), Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Mercury will all be visible to the naked eye. Saturn will be slightly harder to distinguish due to it being lower on the horizon, but there’s still a chance you’ll catch a glimpse. And if you happen to have a decent pair of binoculars or a telescope kicking about, you’re in luck. Uranus and Neptune will also be joining the party – but won’t be visible to the naked eye, unless you have absolutely perfect eyesight and even more perfect weather conditions, that is. The seven planets will first align on Tuesday (February 25) and will do so for the final time on Friday (February 28). This celestial phenomenon isn’t set to happen again until September 2040, so it truly is a must-see event.
How can I see the planet parade from London?
The best chance you’ll have to see the planet parade will be Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings this week. After sunset, head to an area with an open view of the sky, away from obstructions and artificial lighting, look up towards the sky, and hope for the best, really (again, not an official scientific term). The window to see the seven planets will be relatively brief, so you’ll need to be pretty speedy. And remember – your eyes will take a moment to adjust, so give yourself a bit of extra time.
Dr Edward Bloomer, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, said: “You really only have a few minutes after sunset to catch them before they drop below the horizon. After that, you’ll still be able to see Venus, Jupiter, and Mars clearly for a much longer time”.
If you see a bright dot in the sky and are unsure if it’s a planet or a star; a good way to tell them apart is that stars twinkle and planets don’t. Planets are also likely to be brighter and a slightly different colour. Mars, for example, will have a slightly reddish hue. For a bit of extra help, you can download a stargazing app which will help you differentiate between planets and stars.