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How to See a “Planetary Parade” of 4 Bright Planets in the January Night Sky (Video)

How to See a “Planetary Parade” of 4 Bright Planets in the January Night Sky (Video)

Four bright planets are visible together in the night sky this month in what NASA calls a “planetary parade” that is a must-see for astronomers.

Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will each take their turns as stars in the night sky in January (Mars will be closest to Earth of the year this weekend), so if you’re wondering what some of the most striking bright “stars” are in the sky this month, they may actually be planets.

“In January, you will have the opportunity to admire four bright planets with a panoramic view,” said Preston Dyches of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. in a video guide to January night sky. “These opportunities to observe multiple planets are not very rare, but they don’t happen every year, so it’s worth taking a look.”

Sky map showing the planetary alignment visible after dark in January 2025. Jupiter is close to Aldebaran, the bull's eye star in the constellation Taurus.

This NASA sky map shows the location of Saturn and Venus in the early evening in the southwest sky in January 2025, while Juptier shines overhead all night. Mars is visible in the eastern sky later in the evening. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)