Tonight, stargazers are in for a spectacular sight as all seven planets of our solar system align in the night sky, creating a stunning “planetary parade.” This rare celestial event occurs when multiple planets appear to line up, offering a unique opportunity to view these distant worlds in unison. According to The Mirror US, planetarium supervisor at the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature in Florida, Hannah Sparkes, “They’re not in a straight line, but they’re pretty close together on one side of the sun.”
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The ‘parade’ of the 7 planets
The link-up of all 7 planets is an annual event, however, fewer planets are visible together in the sky. A similar lineup occurred in June, last year where only two planets were visible without any equipment. Meanwhile, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn were visible to the naked eye in January.
The rare “planetary parade” offers a unique opportunity to see the planets in their celestial alignment, with four of them—Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars—visible to the naked eye. While Saturn may be tricky to spot due to its low position on the horizon, a telescope will be needed to view the more distant Uranus and Neptune. This stunning alignment will not happen again so prominently until 2040.
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How to watch the 7-planet alignment?
Among the lineup, Venus and Jupiter will be the easiest planets to spot because of their brightness while Mars will distinguish itself in the sky with a reddish hue. Dr Edward Bloomer, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, explained, “Uranus is technically visible with the naked eye, but you’d need perfect eyesight and ideal conditions.”
To increase the chances of spotting as many planets as possible during the, Dr Bloomer suggested that the viewers head to a place with a clear view of the horizon with minimum light pollution, as reported by BBC.
Dr Bloomer said, “If you just pop out of your kitchen into your back garden, you will take time to adjust to the light levels. Give it a bit of time – your eyes take about half an hour to fully adjust. Avoid looking at your phone, get comfortable, and ensure you have an unobstructed view of the horizon.”
