How to see six planets in the sky at once in a rare celestial alignment

Almost all the planets in the solar system are about to march across the night sky in a single line. This planetary arrangement, sometimes called a planet parade, will include all the planets in the solar system except Mars, as it is currently on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth and therefore not visible.

Such alignments occur only once every few years, when the orbits of all the planets happen to bring them to the same side of the Sun at the same time. All of their orbits are of different lengths—Mercury takes 88 Earth days to orbit the Sun, while Neptune takes about 165 Earth years—so the arrangement of the planets is a happy match of orbital geometry and dynamics.

Sometimes they happen relatively close to each other – in February 2025 there was a so-called “grand alignment” where all seven planets were visible at once – and sometimes years go by without a single one.

During a planetary alignment, the planets follow a line across the sky along what is called the ecliptic. This is the same line the Sun follows across the sky during the day, although the tilts of the planets’ orbits cause them not to line up perfectly. From beyond the Solar System, the planets would not appear in line – this is an optical illusion due to the fact that all planets orbit in the same plane.

The alignment will be visible on different dates depending on where you are in the world, but February 28 and March 1 will be the best days to see it in most places. Find a spot with a clear view of the western sky and as little light pollution as possible and keep an eye out for the procession.

The best time to see the planet’s display on February 28 will be less than an hour after sunset: Mercury’s orbit close to the Sun means that shortly after the Sun has dipped below the horizon. Just after sunset, both Mercury and Venus will be visible low on the western horizon. Saturn and Neptune will be just above them, then Uranus and finally Jupiter relatively close to the near full moon.

While Mercury, Venus, Saturn and Jupiter should be visible to the naked eye, you will need binoculars to see Uranus and binoculars to see Neptune because they are so far away.

topics: