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On the last day of February, a rare parade of planets illuminates the night sky and features seven planets in alignment. This is a sight that will not be seen again until 2040.
This alignment occurs when multiple planets appear to be lined up in the night sky. This is a phenomenon known as the planetary parade. According to Dr. Greg Brown, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the visibility and adoration of these events depends on the number of planets in alignment and their brightness.
“All seven planets look technical this week, but they’re not easy to find,” Brown explained. “Mercury, Neptune and Saturn are located near the horizon early in the evening, making them difficult to see. Neptune and Saturn in particular challenge finding spots in Twilight, but Uranus is not desirable and barely visible without a telescope or binocular.”
Meanwhile, Venus, Jupiter and Mars are easily spotted with the naked eye, giving you a stunning view of the three planets in a clear night sky.
Alignment of planets containing three, four or five planets is relatively common, but rare events where seven planets are arranged at once make this particular parade an exceptional sight. NASA points out that such alignments occur occasionally, but the complete seven-planet parade is a rare occurrence. The next one is scheduled to take place in 2040.
A similar alignment occurred last June, but without special equipment, only two planets were visible. In January, six planets were seen, four of which were visible to the naked eye. Currently, Mercury is joining the lineup and completing the set.
The planets in our solar system orbit the Sun along the same plane known as the zodiac plane, which creates alignment. They are orbited at various speeds and distances, but there are moments when they appear to be lined up from the Earth’s perspective.
Dr. Shambaraj, a researcher at King’s College London, recommends the appearance of the British Stargazers shortly after sunset on February 28th. In the US, observers must go away from the bright light and 30 minutes after sunset to catch the show. The Stargazing app also helps to guide your viewers to the right place in the sky.
For those using telescopes, look for the moon shape of Jupiter and crescent shapes of Venus to enhance the experience.
The planets gradually move out of alignment as spring progresses, making this a fleeting yet epic event for stargazers around the world.
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