CHENNAI: A celestial feast awaits astronomy enthusiasts from Tuesday as six planets will parade in a row in the night sky. Sky gazers can see Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars with their naked eyes, but Neptune and Uranus can be viewed only through a powerful telescope. While planets appearing in a line is not special, viewing several of them at one go is rare.
The Tamil Nadu Science and Technology Centre (TNSTC) is organising a special night sky observation for the public at Periyar Science and Technology Centre in Kottupuram from Jan 22 to 25 (from 6pm to 8pm).
“You can see Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars from your terrace or from the beach. Mars will rise around 9pm,” said I K Lenin Tamilkovan, executive director, TNSTC. “All these planets can be viewed separately throughout the month. But on Wednesday, they will be in your field of view,” he added.
The planets are millions of kilometres away from each other, but they will appear to be next to each other to our naked eye.
According to NASA, while Venus and Saturn will be in the southwest direction in the first couple of hours after sunset, Jupiter will be high overhead and Mars in the east. While Uranus and Neptune can be viewed with a bigger telescope, it requires expertise to spot them amid stars.
“Planets always appear along a line in the sky, so the ‘alignment’ isn’t special. What’s less common is seeing four or five bright planets at once, which doesn’t happen every year,” NASA said on its website.
The previous parade of the planets occurred in June 2024 when Saturn, Mars and Jupiter were visible along with the Moon.
“By the first week of Feb, the Moon will appear. Then you may be able to see the Moon, Jupiter and Saturn,” Tamilkovan said.
