Mercury Joins Rare Seven-Planet Alignment in Stunning Planetary Parade
On the last day of February, seven planets will appear to line up in the night sky, creating a spectacular event called a planetary parade. These parades occur when multiple planets are visible together, making them a beautiful sight for stargazers.
Dr. Greg Brown, an astronomer from the Royal Observatory Greenwich, explains that a planetary parade is when you can see several planets in the sky at the same time. The excitement of such an event depends on how many planets are lined up and how clearly they can be seen. This week, all seven planets are technically visible, but not all of them are easy to spot. Mercury, Neptune, and Saturn are very close to the horizon and may be hard to see, especially during twilight. Neptune and Saturn, in particular, can be quite tricky. Uranus is also faint, which means you’ll need binoculars or a telescope to see it clearly.
On the other hand, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars are much easier to view with the naked eye. According to NASA, it’s not uncommon to see groups of three, four, or even five planets in the sky every few years. However, to get seven planets all in a row is quite special; it takes a perfect alignment of their orbits around the Sun.
A similar planetary parade happened last June, but at that time, only two of the planets were visible without special equipment. In January, six planets could be seen, with four of them visible to the naked eye. Now, a dim Mercury has joined the parade. This month, you can easily see Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, while Saturn and Mercury will be tough to catch since they’re low on the horizon. To view Uranus and Neptune, binoculars or telescopes will be necessary.
Dr. Shyam Balaji, a researcher at King’s College London, explains why these alignments occur. Planets travel around the Sun in a similar flat plane, known as the ecliptic plane. Because they move at different speeds and distances from the Sun, there are times when they look aligned from Earth’s perspective. He notes that the best time to see the alignment in the UK will be shortly after sunset on February 28. People in the UK should look to the western horizon, while those in Australia should look north after sunset. In the US, stargazers are advised to go outside about 30 minutes after sunset and to find a dark area away from bright city lights for the best viewing experience.
Stargazing apps can be helpful for individuals wanting to locate the planets after sunset. If you plan to search for them using a telescope, Dr. Brown suggests looking for the moon-like shapes of the planets. For example, if you’re observing Jupiter through a telescope, you might see its moons or the illuminated crescent shape of Venus.
As the weeks go by, the planets will slowly move out of alignment throughout the spring, so make sure to take the opportunity to enjoy this unique celestial show while you can.
