2025 is starting with a bang for sky watchers, with a parade of planets hitting the sky on January 21. A planet parade is when several of our solar system’s planets are visible in the night sky at the same time. There will be six planets visible this time, including Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus.
Six planets will be visible in the days immediately leading up to January 21 and for about four weeks thereafter. Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn should be visible to the naked eye. You’ll need a high-powered viewing device like a telescope to spot Neptune and Uranus.
The best time to see the planets from the Northern Hemisphere will be just after sunset around 8:30 PM local time. You may still be able to catch Venus, Saturn and Neptune on the horizon after this, but all three planets will be below the horizon from 11.30pm to midnight, depending on your location. After that, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will remain visible for a few more hours with Mars eventually setting just before sunrise.
Unlike the previous parades, this one will last quite a while as the planets are in favorable points in the sky. You should be able to see all six planets every night until the last week or so of February.
After that, the parade of seven planets will begin as Mercury briefly joins the others in the sky for a few days, making this a planetary parade of all seven planets in our solar system except Earth. It will be hard to see them all as Saturn, Mercury and Neptune will be quite close to the sun right at sunset, but they will be there.
By the time March begins, Mercury, Saturn and Neptune will have come too close to the sun to be easily visible with Venus not far behind, leaving Jupiter, Mars and Uranus to populate the night sky until the next parade begins.
Will my region see the planet parade?
Most, if not all, locations in the US, Canada and Mexico should be able to see the planetary parade this time thanks to its long length and limited planetary motion. We checked observatories in California, Texas, Ohio and New York in the US, along with Calgary in Canada and Mexico City, Mexico. We were able to find all six planets in every location, so it doesn’t matter how far north, east, west or south you go, you’ll be able to see it.
In general, the best time to see the planet parade will be after January 21 and before February 21. The best time will be the week of January 29 during the new moon. (As we explain in this story, a new moon is a shadow moon, which makes it look like the moon is gone.) The shadow moon will reduce light pollution in the sky and make Neptune, Uranus, and Saturn more visible. easy to spot.
Read more: Full moons explained, from blue moons to supermoons to lunar phases
You won’t have to wait long for all six planets to be in the sky. They will be there as soon as the sun goes down. After dark, you’ll only have a few hours to see them before Venus, Saturn and Neptune sink below the horizon for the evening. This applies regardless of location, so no matter where you are, everything happens at the same time.
During the last days of February, Mercury will appear and the parade will increase to seven planets. This will be best seen right at sunset and will be harder to see while the sun is still on the horizon.
Will I need any special equipment to watch the parade?
Technically yes. You’ll be able to spot Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and potentially Saturn with the unaided eye under the right conditions. However, Neptune and Uranus are simply too far away to see. Astronomers note that you’ll likely need a telescope with at least an 8-inch aperture at 50x magnification to see Uranus and its rings and 150x magnification to see Neptune and its rings. If you’re so equipped, give that telescope a shot at Saturn. With 25x magnification, you’ll be able to see the crown jewel of our solar system in all its glory.
Standard viewing space rules apply here as well. You’ll want to get away from the city, where light pollution can cloud your view. Even the suburbs may not be far enough for many people. If you’re planning a long trip out of the city and its environs, you’ll want to make sure it’s a clear night with as few clouds as possible.
If you’re headed out to see all seven planets in late February, you’ll have a particularly difficult task ahead of you, as some of the planets will be quite close to the sun. You may want to invest in UV protection for your eyes and be especially careful where you point your telescope.
How can I find the planets in the sky?
Given that Neptune and Uranus are particularly difficult to pair with the fact that Saturn and Venus will be close together, there may be some difficulty in finding all six planets in the sky. For this, there are some good tools available. Check out the Stellarium website, along with the Night Sky Map of Times and Dates. They should give you a good idea of where each planet is in relation to the others. Star Walk 2 is a great app on Android and iOS. Stellarium also has its own apps for Android and iOS.
What is a planetary parade?
A planetary parade is a colloquial term that applies when four or more planets line up in the night sky at once. It’s not an official astronomy term, so you’ll rarely hear astronomers use it. However, NASA has been known to refer to the phenomenon as a “parade of the planets”.
The official term is planetary alignment, although this term tends to create some confusion. Some interpretations of the phrase include the planets lining up on the same side of the sun, all next to each other. The planets may never line up perfectly as you see in the picture, but they can all be on the same side of the sun and relatively close to lining up.
However, in everyday use, planetary parades and alignments are the same thing and simply describe when there are several planets visible in the night sky at the same time. These planets may not be anywhere near each other in their solar orbits, but they are visible from Earth’s perspective.
