Here’s when to see 6 planets in alignment in the night sky in January 2025 – MassLive.com
Earth is about to see a large planetary alignment this week, with several planets visible in the skies above to the naked eye. Six planets will make up what is unofficially referred to by professional and amateur astronomers as a planetary parade, according to StarWalk. “Planets always appear along a line in the sky, so the ‘alignment’ isn’t special,” NASA reported. “What’s less common is seeing four or five bright planets at once, which doesn’t happen every year. Is it a “planet parade”? This isn’t a technical term in astronomy, so call it what you wish!”Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus and Saturn should be seen in alignment, with the four closest to Earth (excluding Uranus and Neptune) all visible from Earth without the aid of a telescope or high-powered binoculars, StarWalk wrote. Mars should be seen along the eastern horizon in the constellation Gemini, while Jupiter should be spotted higher in the sky in the constellation Taurus, according to the space app. Uranus should be visible inside Aries. The other three planets should be visible towards the western horizon: Neptune within Pisces, Saturn and Venus both seen close in Aquarius. In exact terms of seeing the planetary parade, Jan. 21 “is only a general date when it will be well-seen for most locations around the world,” StarWalk wrote. For indicating the best time people in the Northeast can see the planetary parade, StarWalk wrote that the best day to see the alignment in, for example, New York City is on Jan. 22. “Note that tall buildings or high mountains near you might hide the planets from view,” StarWalk wrote. “…In addition, the alignment is not limited to a single day but may extend for several days before and after that date. So if you missed Jan. 21, don’t worry and try to spot planets on the other day around the date!”One way to tell the difference between a planet versus a star is that the planets do not twinkle, StarWalk reported. The planets also “visit” different constellations while stars remain fixed. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025).© 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.YouTube’s privacy policy is available here and YouTube’s terms of service is available here.Ad Choices
