Stargazers are in for a treat early this new year, as the sky is full of stars – quite literally so!
January is set to witness an alignment of not one, not two – but six planets in the night sky! As they sang in the song – A Sky Full of Stars!
Although this time – it’s not stars, it’s the planets; the event being called ‘Planet Parade’.
What is Planet Parade?
Three or more planets coming together in the sky, usually in the same area, to form a visually spectacular alignment is known as a ‘planet parade’. Because of their orbits and our perspective from Earth, the planets appear to be grouped together even if they may not form a perfectly straight line.
As John Conafay, CEO of Integrate Space, told TODAY.com, “A parade of planets, also sometimes referred to as a planetary alignment, is when several planets in our solar system appear to line up in the sky from our perspective here on Earth.”
The planet parade occurs when the planets’ positions in their elliptical orbit around the sun line make them seem like they are close in the sky. As per Conafay, “It’s happening because of the specific orbital speeds and paths of the planets around the sun.”
Earlier EarthSky astronomer John Goss revealed that Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune will align in the night sky. Goss shared in a video on the platform, “The whole month of January is a great time to see the planets.”
When to watch the planet parade?
Beginning on January 21 and reaching its peak around January 29, this breathtaking phenomenon will continue to be visible until mid-February. Although the six planets – Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune – can be best viewed on January 25, the alignment is taking over the sky for two months, with Mercury joining the parade of planets by the end of February; which eventually will make a planet parade of seven planets. Mercury will reach its peak visibility from February 28 to March 12, completing the cosmic display of seven planets. While the planets won’t be perfectly aligned, their placement will follow the orbital plane of our solar system.
How to watch the planet parade?
To witness a planet parade, you can primarily use your naked eyes to see the brighter planets like Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn; however, for a better view of fainter planets like Uranus and Neptune, you’ll need binoculars or a telescope.
What’s so special about the planet parade?
What makes this event noteworthy? The fact that six planets will be visible, four of them with the naked eye. However, such events are not just a spectacle for stargazers – they can also have a real impact on our Solar System and offer the potential to gain new insights into our place within it.
The eight major planets of our Solar System orbit the Sun in the same flat plane, and all at different speeds. Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, completes an orbit – a year for the planet – in 88 days. Earth’s year, of course, is 365 days, while at the upper end, Neptune takes a whopping 60,190 days, or about 165 Earth years, to complete a single revolution of our star.
The different speeds of the planets mean that, on occasion, several of them can be roughly lined up on the same side of the Sun.
From Earth, if the orbits line up just right, we can see multiple planets in our night sky at the same time. In rare events, all the planets will line up such that they all appear in our night sky together along the ecliptic, the path traced by the Sun.
On the other hand, while, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are all bright enough to be visible to the naked eye, Uranus and Neptune require binoculars or a telescope to spot.
In January and February, you can witness the rare event of the planet parade taking place.
The planets are not exactly lined up, so they will appear in an arc across the sky due to their orbital plane in the Solar System. During clear nights in January and February, all of the planets except Mercury will be visible. On 28 February, all seven planets will be visible, a great spectacle for observers on the ground.
According to Jenifer Millard, a science communicator and astronomer at Fifth Star Labs in the UK, “There is something special about looking at the planets with your own eyes. Yes, you can go on Google and get a more spectacular view of all these planets. But when you’re looking at these objects, these are photons that have travelled millions or billions of miles through space to hit your retinas.”
What is the best time to watch?
The best time to catch the event is about 45-90 minutes after sunset. The four planets – Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn – will be visible to the naked eye just after the sun goes down, but Uranus and Neptune will require a telescope.
Apps that can be handy:
If you wish to witness the celestial spectacle but are unable to attend a session, there are some apps as well that can help you navigate on your own. Popular options include Star Walk, Star Tracker, and Sky Map, which provide easy-to-use tools for identifying planets and stars, ensuring you don’t miss out on the planet parade.
