On the evening of February 28, just after sunset, seven planets in our solar system will align with the sun. Saturn, Mercury, Neptune, Venus, Uranus, Jupiter and Mars will be visible in the night sky.
With reporting from How to See the “Great Planet Parade” by Vito Technology, inc., students can track the planets during this event.
Planetary alignment is an astronomical term, meaning several planets gathering closely on one side of the sun at the same time. It is a rare phenomenon that won’t happen again until the year 2040.
The planets Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Mars will be visible to the naked eye. For Uranus and Neptune, binoculars or a small telescope will make them visible. You’ll need to know the exact time for your exact location of Saturn’s location in the sky because the planet hangs close to the sun.
Mars will be the highest planet in the sky. You should be able to view it high above the southern horizon in the constellation Gemini.
Apps such as NightSky, SkyTonight, SkyGuide, and others can be found on the App Store and used to locate and identify constellations and planets on your phone. Many of them include the feature that allows you to point your phone’s camera at the night sky and identify the constellations.
A bit lower than Mars will be Jupiter, in the constellation Taurus. Jupiter is the second brightest planet in the night sky.
Uranus will be found in the constellation Aries, near the border of the constellation Taurus. It will theoretically be visible to the naked eye, but it will require a perfectly dark, clear night sky. Binoculars are recommended.
Venus, the brightest planet, will be visible closer to the western horizon, in the constellation Pisces. Also visible in Pisces will be Neptune, the faintest planet. You will need a powerful pair of binoculars to see it.
Mercury will be visible in the constellation Aquarius. It will be close to the sun. Finally, Saturn will be the most difficult planet to see during the alignment. Usually, it’s bright enough to see in the night sky, but this time, it will be very close to the sun. To see Saturn align with the constellation Aquarius, find a time when the sun is already below the horizon, but Saturn hasn’t set yet in your location.
The planetary alignment will occur at the same time as the new moon. The new moon is the first phase of the lunar cycle. It happens approximately once a month. During a new moon, opposite of a full moon, the moon is not visible at all. This makes stars and celestial objects easier to see. This will make fainter objects like Uranus and Neptune more boldly visible than usual.
