A Planetary Parade Will Dazzle Stargazers During This Spectacular Alignment Event

Stargazers are in for a rare planetary treat from now until the end of February. If you look up into the night sky tonight (under the right conditions, of course), six planets—Jupiter, Mars, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus, and Venus—will be visible. Even better is that on February 28, Mercury will join the rather special parade of planets. Unlike meteor showers and other dynamical moving celestial events, the seven-planet alignment is more static, which makes viewing great for folks with early bedtimes.

Tonight, instead of stressing about the next day or the state of TikTok, do yourself a favor and enjoy a special event in the night sky, in what is affectionately called a planetary parade.

Technically, the show started earlier this  week, but as of tonight Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn are visible with the naked eye. Neptune and Uranus can be seen with a telescope (or perhaps even a tripod-mounted flagship smartphone like the Samsung S24 Ultra with its 200x zoom). When it shows up in late February, Mercury should be visible with the naked eye as well.

Due to the alignment trajectory this year, practically all of North America and Mexico are expected to get a good view of the planetary parade. Even better, kids or the elderly don't have to be woken up at wee hours of the morning to spot the planets either—just wait for when it gets dark right after sunset and the show can be a whole family event. Of course, it goes without saying that those living in northern winter climes should at least bundle up for extra warmth.

For the best view of the sky, we suggest getting away from areas with heavy light pollution, plus checking in advance with your local forecast can mitigate being caught in bad weather or obstructive cloud cover. If you plan on using a telescope, experts suggest getting something (at minimum) with an 8-inch aperture and 50x magnification. More powerful telescopes will allow viewers to better see fainter details like the rings on Saturn, for example.