Planetary parade
A planetary parade (or planetary alignment, planetary procession) occurs when some of the planets in the Solar System appear to be close to each other in the sky. That is, individuals on Earth are able to view them simultaneously. The planets are not actually aligned in space, though. They just appear that way due to their positions in their orbits and how we view them from Earth.[1][2][3][4]
Three, four, or five-planet planetary parades occur frequently. Larger planetary parades are less frequent.[5][6] Because planets orbit in a regular pattern, scientists can simply calculate when such occurrences occurred in the past and when they will occur in the future.
Notable planetary parades
[change | change source]2025 planetary parade
[change | change source]There were two massive planetary parades in 2025. Six and seven planets appeared to line up in the sky.
The first segment of this activity began on the 21st of January and will conclude on February 21, 2025.[7] These six planets, including Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn, will appear visible in the nighttime sky.[8]
The second alignment will occur on February 28, 2025. Then, Mercury will become part of the other six planets, bringing the total number of planets to seven in the alignment.[9]
2040 planetary parade
[change | change source]Following the 2025 parade, the next six-planet parade will not occur until 2040.[6][10]
See also
[change | change source]- Astronomy, scientific study of celestial objects and phenomena
- Planet, celestial body directly orbiting a star or stellar remnant
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Six planets will align tonight in rare 'planetary parade'". The Independent. 2024-06-03. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ↑ Wattles, Jackie (2023-03-24). "A stunning lineup of five planets will decorate the night sky". CNN. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ↑ published, Samantha Mathewson (2025-01-24). "Watch 'planetary parade' online for free on Jan. 25". Space.com. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ↑ Singh, Maanvi (2023-03-28). "Five planets line up to put on celestial show for skywatchers tonight". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ↑ Miller, Katrina (2025-02-24). "A Parade of Planets Is Marching Through the Night Sky". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Planetary parade: Mercury falls into line for rare seven-planet alignment". The Guardian. 2025-02-28. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ↑ "A planetary alignment will occur on Jan. 21. What will be visible and how to see it". Yahoo News. 2025-01-21. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ↑ Stock, Petra (2025-01-21). "'We're very fortunate': stargazers to see almost all planets aligned in the night sky at the same time". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ↑ "Planetary parade 2025: This is what it really means when seven planets line up in the sky". www.bbc.com. 2025-02-26. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ↑ "Planetary parade across UK skies today won't occur again until 2040". The Independent. 2025-02-28. Retrieved 2025-03-29.