If you’re an astronomy lover, 2025 is already starting off strong with a stunning skywatching event. In January, you have the opportunity to take in four bright planets—Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Saturn—in a single sweeping view each night. (Neptune and Uranus will also be there, but not visible to the naked eye.)
Dubbed the “planet parade,” these planets will appear bright in the dark sky and look aligned—but it’s not exactly an alignment. They only appear that way along a line across the sky called the ecliptic, which represents the plane of the solar system in which the planets orbit around the Sun, according to NASA. (This is similar to how some planets look like they’re heading close to each other in the sky, like what we will see when Venus and Saturn head for a super close approach on January 17 and 18—even though they’re really hundreds of millions of miles apart in space.)
How to view the planets ‘aligning’
According to our friends at NASA, the best time to see the four planets shine is a couple hours after dark. Look southwest to find Venus and Saturn, overhead for Jupiter (the planet associated with luck), and east to view Mars. (You’ll need a telescope to see Uranus and Neptune.)
Schedule for the planet parade and other skywatching events
Mark your calendar: The Farmers’ Almanac says the planets are best viewed starting this Friday, January 10, and the best time to see them is the evening of January 21, when the moon reaches its last quarter phase, per Forbes.
On January 13, across the U.S. and in eastern Canada, the moon will appear to pass in front of Mars over a couple of hours.
And don’t worry if you miss it: You’ll get another chance in March, when Mercury joins the current planetary lineup, which will be best seen on March 8.
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