[imagesource:pexels]
Earth is in for a real treat!
On the evening of 28 February 2025, the heavens will host an awe-inspiring spectacle, as all seven of the Solar System’s other planets come together in harmony.
Saturn, Mercury, Neptune, Venus, Uranus, Jupiter, and Mars will align in a celestial procession, their brilliance gracing the night sky in a stunning arc—a breathtaking sky feast for the eyes, heralding a rare and magnificent planetary alignment.
And that’s not even the full story. On 21 January 2025, a striking alignment will unfold, as six of the seven remaining planets join forces in the sky—Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus, and Saturn—united in a dazzling celestial display, with Mercury standing apart, leaving its place unfilled in this grand cosmic tableau.
While it’s not rare for a handful of planets to gather on the same side of the Sun at any given time, the true spectacle lies in the alignment of most—or even all—of the planets, per Science Alert.
An alignment can feature anywhere from three to eight planets, with five or six joining forces creating what’s known as a large alignment. However, five-planet formations are far more frequent than six-planet gatherings.
As for seven-planet alignments, these are the most elusive, an event so rare it stirs wonder.
But don’t expect the perfectly ordered rows you see in diagrams of the Solar System—such celestial queues are a product of imagination, not reality. In truth, such precision in the Universe doesn’t really happen:
Whether you will be able to see the alignments, at what time the planets rise and set, and in which order, depends on where in the world you’re viewing from. Obviously, binoculars or a telescope will do a stellar job of allowing you to see the planets in all their glory, otherwise, you’re also going to want to get away from light pollution and find a location with a clear view of the full sky.
There are also a number of tools and apps you can use to ensure a cool viewing:
Time and Date is an interactive tool that allows you to set the date you want to view, showing the rise and set times for each planet, where in the sky they can be seen, and how difficult they will be to see.
Stellarium has a similar web tool that shows you the positions of all the planets.
Sky Tonight is a free mobile app that uses your phone’s hardware to gauge where you are located and shows you real-time positions of celestial objects on a map of the sky above. There is a good list of other options here, too.
And keep your fingers crossed for clear skies!
[source:sciencealert]
