How to see the planets align: We show when and where to view

Six planets will align, but not all will be seen with the naked eye. We explain why.

Stargazers will be treated to a dazzling six-planet "alignment" this January.

A planetary alignment, or a "planet parade" according to the internet, will grace our night sky just after dusk, according to EarthSky, a stargazing and astronomical website. We'll see six planets – Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus and Saturn – but not all of them will be visible to the naked eye. You'll need high-powered binoculars or a telescope to see Neptune and Uranus.

It's not especially remarkable for a few planets to line up in the sky, but the sight of four or five brilliant planets at once is less common, according to NASA. They first aligned this past Tuesday and will align, again, next week on Sunday, Monday and Friday. The best viewing, though, will be at the start of February.

How does the alignment happen?

The planets orbit the sun continuously in the solar system, so at times they slowly catch up to one another. Because they travel along the same path, or ecliptic, as they pass Earth, it appears they are aligned, according to NASA. The alignment formation, however, will be short-lived because each planet moves at different speeds.

More: Planetary alignments aren’t rare, but 6 visible planets are. Here's how to see it.

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Where to look for the planetary alignment

When looking in the southern sky about 90 minutes after sunset, the planetary alignment will be visible almost everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, weather permitting.

Even if you're using high-powered binoculars or a telescope, both Uranus and Neptune will be dim, and Neptune will appear star-like. But Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus should be visible to the naked eye.

Profiles of the visible planets

For this alignment, Mercury will be on the far side of the sun, according to EarthSky. And being so close to the sun, it will be difficult to see.

With eight planets in our solar system, they all have some very interesting traits. Here's a quick look at the planets aligning on this month:

When will the planets align again?

◾ Feb. 28: Seven planets – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. (The last time all seven planets aligned was on April 8 during the total solar eclipse).

◾ Aug. 29, 2025: Six planets – Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

This story was updated to add new information.

CONTRIBUTING Eric Lagatta and Jim Sergent

SOUCRE EarthSky.org, StarWalk.space, NASA, Sky and Telescope, Astronomy.com and USA TODAY research