6 planets aligning in night sky will get even better in February
It's the best planetary alignment of 2025, and the show will get even better as the calendar flips to February as another celestial object glows between Venus and Uranus.
The best planetary alignment of the year is underway, with Saturn, Venus, Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter and Mars stretching across the night sky. AccuWeather’s Anna Azallion explains how you can view it.
The best planetary alignment of the year is underway, with Saturn, Venus, Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter and Mars stretching across the night sky.
Winter can be the most challenging time of the year for stargazing since it is frequently cloudy or bitterly cold across North America. Fortunately, this impressive alignment will be visible every evening throughout the first half of February, providing stargazers with plenty of opportunities to see the planets.
A telescope is necessary to view the entire planetary parade, as Uranus and Neptune are too dim to be seen with the naked eye. However, the other four planets are bright enough to be spotted after the sun has set.
Venus, Saturn and Neptune will be bunched together low in the southwestern sky, while Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will glow higher in the southern sky.
One trick for finding the planets is to look for how they shine. Stars appear to twinkle while planets do not, making it easier to pick out planets in a star-studded sky.
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The first nights of February will feature an added celestial treat as the crescent moon aligns with the planets.
After sunset on Monday, Feb. 3, the moon will hang in the sky between Venus and Uranus and will sweep past Jupiter and Mars in the following nights.
Are the planets actually aligned right now?
While Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune and Saturn will appear to be in a line across the sky, in reality, they are spread far apart in our solar system.
The planetary parade is taking place because all six planets happen to be on the same side of the sun from the perspective of the Earth. The only planet missing from the planetary parade is Mercury, which is on the opposite side of the sun than the rest of the planets.
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