
Parade of Six Planets on January 21: Where and How to Observe
Kyiv • UNN
On January 21, 2025, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus, and Saturn will align in a straight line in the night sky. This will be the prelude to an even rarer parade of seven planets, which will occur on February 28.
The sky on January 21, 2025 will offer a rare astronomical event - six planets of the Solar System will align in one large line. Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus and Saturn will appear simultaneously in the night sky.
This is reported by ScienceAlert, reports UNN.
Mercury will not join the parade this time, but this does not diminish the uniqueness of the event.
This celestial line will be a kind of "prologue" to an even rarer celestial event that will take place on February 28 - the parade of seven planets. However, January 21 is also a great opportunity for astronomy enthusiasts and casual observers to enjoy this unique spectacle.

The planets will form a celestial row because they orbit the Sun within the same plane, called the ecliptic. But their orbits are not absolutely equal.
Such phenomena occur quite rarely, and their scale depends on the number of planets that are simultaneously on one side of the Sun.
It will be interesting to observe the alignment of six planets, but not all of them are equally bright. Venus and Jupiter, for example, can be seen with the naked eye, while Uranus and Neptune require binoculars or a telescope for better viewing.
Visibility will also depend on the geographical location of the observer, the time of sunrise and sunset of each planet, as well as the weather. Immediately after sunset, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will become the most noticeable. Uranus and Neptune require additional efforts to observe due to their distance and faint glow.
To not miss this phenomenon, you can use modern tools for orientation in the sky.
For example, web services like Time and Date or Stellarium help determine the exact time when the planets will appear on the horizon. For smartphone users, there are apps like Sky Tonight, which use GPS to show the location of celestial objects in real time.
Such alignments of planets do not occur often.
The main thing is to find a dark place away from city lights, take optical equipment with you and hope for a clear sky, as it is the most important condition for successful observation.

Let's add
Planet alignment is a phenomenon where several planets of the Solar System appear to be arranged in a single imaginary line in the sky. In reality, they are not arranged in a straight line in space, but from the point of view of an observer on Earth, it seems as if they are lined up in a certain order. This happens because all the planets orbit the Sun on the same plane, called the ecliptic. Due to the fact that their orbits are at a similar level, we see them as a "chain" of bright points in the sky.
The number of planets that align simultaneously can vary. For example, the alignment of three or four planets occurs more often, while phenomena with five, six or even seven planets are much rarer. Planets like Venus or Jupiter can be seen with the naked eye, while Uranus or Neptune require a telescope due to their faint glow.
Such a phenomenon looks beautiful and captivates with its scale. It becomes possible due to the harmonious movement of the planets in the Solar System, and although it is an optical effect, it remains unique and spectacular to observe from Earth.
Let's remind
On February 28, 2025, a rare parade of seven planets will take place, which will not be repeated until 2492.