Until the end of January, four “bright planets” will be visible to the naked eye, appearing in the first couple of hours after dark: Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars. Uranus and Neptune will also be up there, but you won’t be able to see them without binoculars or a telescope. This makes a total of six planets, which together form a rare “planetary parade”.
Start by finding Venus in the southwestern sky at sunset. It’s the brightest planet in our solar system (earning it the nickname “evening star”), so it’ll be the easiest to spot. Then look for it clustered around Saturn: the two planets were there together on January 18, that is, there will still be a few degrees. From above, you should be able to find Jupiter above Orion constellation.
Here’s what makes this month’s planetary alignment particularly odd: “Opposition” Mars arrived in January, which only happens roughly once every two years. From Earth’s point of view, this means that Mars will appear directly in front of the Sun in the sky (look east 90 minutes after sunset). It will appear bigger and brighter than usual, making it one of the best times to see the Red Planet this year.
If the parade of four planets isn’t enough, grab some binoculars or a telescope to look for Uranus and Neptune in the same arc. Like popular stargazing apps SkyView, Stellariumand The night sky It can help you pinpoint their locations through your smartphone with AR overlays.
Mercury, as always, is the wild card here (don’t worry, it’s not retrograde until March). It’s visible in the morning sky before dawn this January, but won’t appear in the night sky until February. “At that moment, Saturn and Neptune will start,” he explained EarthSky.orgmedia that specializes in space news. “Technically, by the end of February, all seven planets will be in the sky at the same time. But Neptune will be impossible to see so close to the sun, and Mercury and Saturn will be challenging.”
The January 2025 planetary parade will be visible in the early hours after dark from most parts of the world, and the ideal viewing date will vary slightly depending on your exact location. Walk of the Starsreal time astronomy app. For the clearest view, the less nighttime pollution the better. Take a trip and visit a national park, state park, dark sky reserveor hotel with an observatory next to you
