How to see planetary parade and when to look for rare event

A long awaited astronomical event dubbed as the planet parade or planetary alignment when four planets are visible to the naked eye on the evening sky, Mars on left, Jupiter in the middle, Saturn and Venus on the right as they move along the ecliptic
-Credit:Anadolu via Getty Images


A stunning planetary parade is currently marching across our night skies - but exactly how and when should we look for the rare phenomenon?

There will be six planets in the skies above Yorkshire and the rest of the UK tonight, with some of them visible to the naked eye. All four of Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus should be visible to your own eyes if you look up in the sky.

However, dimmer planets, which are further from the Sun, like Uranus and Neptune, will likely require a telescope to see.

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Jupiter should be easy to spot, being above the constellation known as Orion, while Mars will be bright and high in the sky. They should follow the path of the ecliptic, which is the path of the Sun in the sky as it lights up the planet.

While the display will be visible throughout January and February, the best time to see it will be over the next few days. This is due to evenings getting lighter throughout February, before the alignment itself ends towards the end of the month.

On February 28, you'll also have the chance to see Mercury join the parade for just one night.

To view the alignment and parade, you'll need to get somewhere dark, away from the light pollution of the city and a telescope is always handy. The best time to view the planets is just after sunset.

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Venus will be the brightest object in the sky, after the Moon, with the other planets fainter. You can make use of skycharts or apps to find out exactly where each planet is, or you can use a telescope to figure it out by observation.

In addition, the display coincides with a fainter moon, making it even easier to see some of the darker planets.

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