Is “planet parade” the latest buzzword in skywatching? Supermoons, shooting stars that “light up the night sky” and “ring of fire” solar eclipses have become popular in recent years. Now, let’s move forward with the planetary alignment outlook. Clearly, it’s more than enough to make mainstream audiences look up.
In early 2025, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus and Saturn They were in the night sky at the same time, but only four of them were visible.
“Planet Parade” in February 2026
Saturday February 28th is being touted as the day when six planets will be visible in the evening sky. “Not one, not two, but six planets will be visible in the evening sky on February 28,” Alyssa Lee writes in an article for the space agency.observe the sky“Blog.” Mercury, Venus, Neptune,Saturn, Uranusand Jupiter It will appear just after sunset. ”
Unfortunately, “seeing” plays a big role here.
To have a chance, you need:
- Unobstructed view due west
- clear sky
- Saturday, February 28th approximately 30 minutes after sunset
- Binoculars, a telescope, and maybe a healthy imagination.
Dissecting “Planet Parade”
The main problem with seeing all six planets is that four of them are already close to Earth. solar And even if it is visible, it is only visible for a short time during bright twilight. Venus and Mercury are closest to the horizon at dusk, followed by Saturn and Neptune, and Uranus and Jupiter are higher up in the sky. In reality, it would probably be difficult to see more than three planets.
venus and mercury
The inner planets shine at magnitudes -3.8 and 0.3, respectively, and will likely require binoculars. Mercury is actually easiest to see at the beginning of the month. It will be highest in the sky after sunset from February 19th to 20th. However, Venus will be low in the sky at that time, making it difficult to see. That’s why February 28th is a day of balance.
saturn and neptune
Now slowly moving toward the Sun’s glare (Sun conjunction is March 25th), Saturn is well past its best and currently shines at . size 1. Visible to the naked eye. However, unlike nearby Neptune, which has a magnitude of 8, you will need a small telescope to see it.
Uranus
Midway between the group of four planets in the southwest and high Jupiter in the south, Uranus hangs directly below. Pleiades star cluster (M45) Open cluster on February 28th. It shines at magnitude 5.7 and should be visible with stargazing binoculars.
Jupiter
It reached its opposite on January 10th and is now past its all-time high. solar systemThe giant planet currently shines at magnitude -2.3, which is about four times lower than Venus’ intrinsic brightness. But Jupiter will be the easiest planet to see yet.
Moon and M44
Although likely to be missed by most observers of the Planet Parade, the waxing moon, illuminated by 92% of its light, will be high in the eastern sky below Jupiter. If you have binoculars, you may be able to catch a glimpse of one of the brightest star clusters, the Beehive Cluster (M44), just below.
See the build for Planet Parade
Rather than limiting it to one night on Saturday, February 28th, this is both restrictive and frankly not very meaningful for a slowly moving planet. observe planets During February:
- Sunday, February 8th: Venus appeared in the evening sky for the first time in a while. However, it will be difficult to spot Venus in the western sky just after sunset.
- Thursday, February 19th: A waxing moon with a brightness of 7% will be visible in the west-southwest of Saturn, just above Mercury at its maximum eastern elongation from the Sun (approximately 10 degrees above the horizon 45 minutes after sunset from north-central latitudes). In addition, Saturn month The difference is about 4 degrees.
- Friday, February 20: Mercury will be highest in the post-sunset sky in its current appearance, with Saturn and the 14% illuminated crescent moon visible above it.
- Thursday, February 26: Jupiter and the 77% waxing Gibbs moon are about 4 degrees apart.
“Planet Parade” that everyone missed
Mid-January 2026 saw a rare triple superior conjunction of Venus, Mars, and Mercury, but no one witnessed it. That’s because not only did it originate on the other side of the solar system, but it’s so close to the sun that only the Solar Observatory can spot the three planets in the glare of our star.
Venus, Mars, and Mercury were at solar conjunction (when the planets cross behind the sun). earth) will be held on January 6th, January 9th, and January 21st, respectively. Image taken from ESA-NASA coronagraph Solar Heliosphere Observatory (SOHO) and GOES-19 weather satellites — the latter includes new moon.
Planet of 2026
Although this “planetary parade” will soon fade away, the prospects for planet-watchers in 2026 are great. Mars is moving from the evening to the morning sky and will be visible again before sunrise in April. Even more impressive, Venus is rising in the sky after sunset and will establish itself as a super bright star by late March. ”evening starShining with a magnitude of -3.8. It is the third brightest celestial body after the Sun and Moon, and much brighter than Jupiter. Venus will be highest in the sky in August and brightest in late September, but perhaps the planet’s highlight in 2026 will come on June 9, when Venus and Jupiter will be closely aligned in the evening sky, with Mercury just below.