All planets align this week in super rare ‘planetary parade’ that you won’t see again until 2040
A rare planetary parade is set to emerge in the night sky this week for the last time until 2040.
A rare planetary parade is to emerge in the night sky this week for the last time until 2040.
Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Saturn and Mercury will be strung across the sky in an arc shape on 28 February.
Stargazers will have to wait 15 years for the next alignment involving seven planets.
The moment will be short, and stargazers across Australia should head out around 30 minutes after sunset to catch the parade.
Only five planets, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and Mercury, will be visible to the naked eye.
Uranus and Neptune are simply too far away from Earth, and therefore require a telescope or binoculars to view them.
While they will mostly look like larger, twinkling stars - you will be able to set Venus and Mars apart from the rest.
Venus will be the brightest in the sky, shining twice as bright as the North Star, Polaris.
Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will appear as bright-white points of light, while Mars has a distinct orange glow.
Alignments of four or five planets are not uncommon, as their orbits bring them to the same side of the Sun as the Earth.
But it’s remarkably rare for six, or even seven, planets to align.
How to view ‘planet parade’
Venus and Saturn will only be visible for a short time after sunset, so it’s best to get out early.
Jupiter will appear north, and Mars, with its signature orange hue, will be lower in the sky in the northeast, as reported by the ABC.
Neptune and Uranus will sit between Venus and Jupiter, and you’ll need a telescope or a pair of binoculars to spot them.
This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission
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