Seek! You don't want to miss the "planetary parade"

6 planets visible now, 7 at the end of February

On the seven planets other than the earth in our solar system, you can generally see only a few at a time.

But right now, it’s your chance to see them almost all at the same time.

This month, six planets are visible in the night sky at the same time: Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus.

When this happens, it is called a planetary alignment – or, informally, a “planetary parade”.

“They are not in a straight line, but they are quite close to each other on one side of the sun,” said Hannah Sparkes, planetarium supervisor at the Bishop Science and Nature Museum in Florida.

Of course, many planets are visible at a given time every night, but not necessarily at the same time.

Most of the parade planets will be visible to the naked eye, but you will need a telescope for some. (Image credit: Fred Thornhill / Reuters)

A seventh planet, Mercury, will join the parade at the end of February, and the planets will slowly become less visible in the spring.

How can I see them?

According to NASA, these multi-planet views are not super-rare, but they do not occur every year.

This time, you can see Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn to the naked eye this month and for a part of February.

This image of NASA shows the positions of the planets after nightfall in mid-January. (Image credit: NASA)

Uranus and Neptune will also be visible – but you will need twins or telescope.

For the best chance of seeing the planets, be sure to go out for a clear night a few hours after Sunset and Face South, said Kevin Williams, director of the planetarium at Buffalo State University in Buffalo, New York.

A good sign that you look at a planet is if it shines brighter than the stars. Mars will look like a reddish-orange point.

You can get help where to look at exactly with Stargazing applications, which help users navigate in the night sky.

Do you have more questions? Do you want to tell us how we are going? Use the link “send us comments” below.

With files from the Associated Press
Top image credit: Ginnette Riquelme / The Associated Press