The current parade of planets, mistakenly called a planetary alignment by some, in the night sky shortly after sunset has been calculated as a few-times-a-century phenomenon by scientists.
According to scientists at Timeanddate.com, the nightly showing of six planets — four visible to the naked eye — will peak from around Sunday, Feb. 23, through Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, from within a certain band of latitudes on Earth.
Mercury Joins The Fray
The four-night window to see a night sky featuring all seven other planets (and the eighth, Earth, if you look around you!) will benefit from the brief addition of Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, peering above the western horizon after sunset.
During the “planet parade,” Mars and Jupiter are visible high in the southeast, and Venus (by far the brightest) is visible in the west, with Saturn below. Neptune and Uranus are barely visible to the naked eye.
Next ‘Planet Parade’ Is In 11 Years
Frank Tveter at timeanddate.com, who has a doctorate in celestial mechanics, asked how often all the planets are above the horizon simultaneously in a reasonably dark sky. He looked for periods when the sun is six degrees or more below the horizon (a period called nautical twilight) and every planet (including Uranus and Neptune, which are not visible to the naked eye) is six degrees or more above the horizon.
Tveter found multiple cases of all the planets being visible on the horizon from one location at the top or bottom of the globe, so had to add the strict rule about twilight. He uncovered that the next time it happens will be in 2036, and the next time after that will be in 2060.
Best Time To See The ‘Parade Of Planets’
According to Prof. Patricia Reiff at Rice University, Houston, Texas, the best time to see seven planets — five visible to the naked eye — will be Monday, Feb. 24, and Tuesday, Feb. 25. “Even then, Mercury and Saturn will be difficult to see in the western sunset glow,” she said in an email, adding that Mercury will be the brighter of the two planets.
Mercury will be easier to see on subsequent evenings than Saturn as it emerges from the sun’s glare while Saturn retreats into it.
For a bonus sight, a crescent moon will appear between Mercury and Saturn on Friday, Feb. 28, though a clear view low to the western horizon will be necessary.
Why It’s Not A ‘Planetary Alignment’
Although all of the planets will be technically visible in the same night sky — albeit two in a telescope — simultaneously, it’s a rookie error to call it a planetary alignment because planets do not align. They all orbit the sun in the same plane, called the ecliptic, which is identical to the sun’s path through the daytime sky on Earth. They are consequently always seen along the same line, just spread out like they are right now. The only remarkable fact is that they are all simultaneously visible to the night side of Earth.
What Happens Next
Although six planets have been in the night sky for a few months, that won’t be the case for long. Saturn, in its 29-year orbit of the sun, will move behind the sun, from Earth’s point of view, on Mar. 12, 2025, bringing the “planet parade” to an end. Venus, currently moving closer to Earth as it laps it on its shorter 225-day orbit of the sun, will sink into our star’s glare on Mar. 22, 2025, leaving only Mars and Jupiter as the only planets visible to the naked eye in the night sky.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.