Though the planets are always “aligned,” seeing more than four in the sky is more uncommon. February’s lineup is a chance to glimpse all seven in one sweeping view.
Heads up, skywatchers. February is here, with no shortage of celestial events to inspire awe. Venus is making her mark just in time for Valentine's Day as the brightest in the sky this year, taking the place of Saturn to continue the planetary alignment for this month.
A planetary alignment, or a "planet parade" according to the internet, will grace our night sky just after dusk, according to SkyatNightMagazine. We'll see six planets in the first part of February – Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus and Saturn – and on Feb. 28, they'll be joined by Mercury.
This is the last chance to catch the pair in conjunction this year—with Venus set to be unusually bright in the night sky.
Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn should be visible to the naked eye. The six planets will be visible until February 9. You'll need a high-powered viewing device like a telescope to spot Neptune and Uranus. Look toward the southeastern to southwestern sky.
Californians watching the sky in February have the chance to view a parade of planets and a snow moon. The planetary alignment that began in January will continue into February, according to AccuWeather. Stargazers can also glimpse a full moon and a bright Venus during cloudless nights in the middle of the month.
To help people view the parade, Mr Dury has shared photographs detailing where the planets are appearing in the sky. "The bright planets will certainly be visible like Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars. "For the dimmer planets, Uranus and Neptune, you may want to use a pair of binoculars or a small telescope to see those," he said.
The night sky will feature a parade of its own in the coming weeks, with several planets visible for sky watchers to enjoy.
Known as the "Parade of Planets," the celestial event will feature appearances from Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune and Saturn through the end of January, according to Farmer's Almanac. Mercury will emerge in the night sky at the end of February, replacing Saturn.
Wednesday, February 5 First Quarter Moon occurs at 3:02 A.M. EST. Nearly half a day later, the Moon passes 5° north of Uranus at 4 P.M. EST, located at the border between Aries and Taurus.
All month, four planets — Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars — will appear to line up and be bright enough to see with the naked eye in the first few hours after dark, according to NASA. Uranus and Neptune will be there, too, but will require binoculars ...
After five weeks and a general malaise, January is behind us, and the brief, bright month of February is straight ahead.