By way of the top of February, all of the planets in our photo voltaic system will visibly align within the sky, like a trope taken straight from fiction.
The “parade of planets,” an alignment of a number of planets within the sky, shall be seen around the globe, together with the Bay Space, till the top of February. As of final week, 4 planets — Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars — brightly shone within the sky and can proceed to be seen via the top of January, in response to stargazing app Star Stroll. Subsequent month, Mercury will be part of the arc. Uranus and Neptune can even be seen throughout each parades, however they require a telescope to be seen.
The parade of planets isn’t essentially a uncommon astronomical occasion, mentioned Gary Baker, president of the Peninsula Astronomical Society and chairperson at Foothill Observatory. The planets are seen day by day of the yr, however some planets are normally seen at completely different instances of the day, like within the morning sky or after sundown.
“What’s nice about this particular arrangement is that they’re a little closer together than normal,” Baker mentioned. “They’re not fully spread out over the whole 360, so that doesn’t happen, I guess, all that often, but it’s not that special an arrangement.”
In line with Star Stroll, this “parade” is called a planetary alignment, when all planets are gathered intently on one facet of the solar on the identical time.
Each planet besides Mercury shall be seen within the sky proper after sundown till round Feb. 7, Baker mentioned. The planetary alignment is seen in every single place and might be greatest seen between 6 and 6:30 p.m. Venus might be seen within the western sky following the solar, whereas Mars is seen within the japanese sky, rising because the solar units. Jupiter can be within the center, with the three planets forming one thing like an extended arc within the sky.
Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are “bright and relatively easy to see” with the bare eye, Baker mentioned. Nonetheless, folks would wish a medium-sized telescope to see Uranus and Neptune.
In line with Star Stroll, one other planetary parade will happen round Feb. 28, and all seven of the opposite planets within the photo voltaic system shall be seen. Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Mars shall be simply seen to the bare eye, in response to Star Stroll. Saturn, Uranus and Neptune can be tougher to see, requiring binoculars or a telescope.
“It’s a long arc, and they really are in a line, and those three in particular — Venus, Jupiter and Mars — they’re bright enough to show up even in light pollution,” Baker mentioned.
Although mild air pollution will not be a serious difficulty, as Baker mentioned, fog and clouds within the Bay Space could hinder folks’s view of the planets.
Baker mentioned that there are different astronomical occasions which may be extra fascinating than the parade of planets. Baker mentioned Mars and Jupiter can be greatest to see via a telescope proper now. Mars is the closest it will likely be to Earth within the final two years, which means the pink planet will seem bigger within the evening sky.
“If you’re going to invest the time to look for a telescope, look at those objects,” Baker mentioned. “They’re special right now.”
Baker additionally directed stargazers to a lunar eclipse on March 13. Foothill Observatory shall be opening at 10 p.m. and shutting after midnight for a particular occasion to look at the total moon tackle a reddish tint because it passes via the Earth’s shadow for just a few hours.
Initially Printed: January 29, 2025 at 6:30 AM PST
