Here’s How to See Six Planets in a Spectacular Planet Parade This Weekend
In 2025, the explosion of Skygazer began and now the parade of planets can be seen in the night sky. Planetary parades are when several of our solar system planets are visible in the night sky at the same time. This time, six planets will be seen, including Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus.
Six planets can now be seen and will remain until late February. Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn should be visible to the naked eye. You need a high-powered viewing device, such as a telescope, to discover Neptune and Uranus.
The best time to view a planet from the Northern Hemisphere will be after sunset around 8:30 pm local time. After that, you may still be able to capture Venus, Saturn and Neptune on the horizon, but depending on your location, all three planets will be at 11:30 pm to midnight horizon. After that, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will finally stay for a few hours before sunrise until Mars finally sits down.
Different Previous paradeThis goal will last for some time since the planet is in a favorable position in the sky. You should be able to watch all six planets every night until the last week of February or so.
After that, the seven parades will begin as Mercury will briefly join others in the sky for a few days, turning it into a planetary parade of all seven planets in our solar system except Earth. Since Saturn, Mercury and Neptune will be close to the sun at sunset, but they will be there, but they will be there, which will be difficult to see them.
By the beginning of the parade, Mercury, Saturn and Neptune will be closer and closer and cannot be easily seen with Venus, not far away, while Jupiter, Mars and Uranus fill the night sky until the next parade begins.
Will I see the Earth parade in my area?
Most, if not all, locations in the United States, Canada and Mexico should be able to see this planetary parade, thanks to its length and limited planetary motion. We checked observers in California, Ohio and New York and Calgary in Mexico City, Mexico. We are able to find all six planets at each location, so it doesn’t matter how far you can go north, east, west or south, you’ll be able to see it.
Usually, the best time to view a planetary parade will be before February 21.
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You don’t have to wait long to get all six planets in the sky. The sun will be there after the setting. After dark, it only takes a few hours to watch Venus, Saturn and Neptune before they dip below the horizon. This is no matter where you are, so everything happens at the same time no matter where you are.
In the last few days of February, Mercury will appear and the parade will increase to seven planets. This will be best viewed at sunset and will be harder to see when the sun is still on the horizon.
Do I need any special equipment to view the parade?
Technically yes. You will be able to discover Venus, Mars, Jupiter and potential Saturn under the appropriate conditions. However, Neptune and Uranus are too far away to be discovered. Astronomers point out You may need a telescope with a 50x magnification of at least 8 inches of aperture to see Uranus and its ring, and a magnification of 150x to see Neptune and its ring. If you are fully equipped, give this telescope a point on Saturn. At 25 magnifications you will be able to see The crown gem of the solar system In all glory.
The standard space viewing rules also apply here. You will need to stay away from the city where light pollution can confuse your vision. For many, even the suburbs may not be enough. If you plan to leave the city and its surroundings for a long time, you need to make sure it is a clear night and as little as possible.
If you are going to see all seven planets by the end of February, you will have a particularly tough task as some planets will be close to the sun. You can Want to invest in UV protection for your eyes And point especially carefully at the location of the telescope.
How do I find planets in the sky?
Given the fact that Neptune and Uranus are particularly difficult to find adjacent to Saturn and Venus, it can be a bit difficult to find all six planets in the sky. For this, there are some good tools available. Check Stellarium’s website,as well as Night sky map of time and date. These should give you a good idea of ​​where each planet is relative to other planets. Star Walk 2 is a great app Android and ios. Stars have their own Android and iOS app The same is true.
What is a planetary parade?
Planetary parade is Common terms This applies when four or more planets line up immediately in the night sky. This is not an official astronomical term, so you rarely hear astronomers use it. However, NASA is known This phenomenon is called a “planetary parade.”
The official term is planetary alignment, although the term tends to make some confusion. Some explanations of the phrase include planets arranged on the same side of the sun being adjacent to each other. Planets can never be fully lined up exactly as you see in the picture, but they can all be on the same side of the sun and are relatively close to the arrangement.
However, in daily use, planetary parades and alignment are the same thing, just describing when several planets in the night sky can be visible at the same time. These planets may be similar to each other in the orbit of the sun, but cannot be seen from the perspective of the earth.