A planetary parade will light up the sky in days and you won’t need a telescope

Stargazers person nan chance to spot six planets nexus up successful nan entity astatine nan extremity of February, and astir will beryllium visible to nan naked eye.

It's what's known arsenic a planetary parade, which happens erstwhile aggregate planets look to statement up successful nan entity astatine once.

The planets aren't successful a consecutive line, but are adjacent together connected 1 broadside of nan sun.

Skygazers tin usually spot 2 aliases 3 planets aft sunset, according to NASA.

Hangouts of 4 aliases 5 that tin beryllium glimpsed pinch nan naked oculus are little communal and hap each fewer years.

Last twelvemonth featured lineups of six and each 7 planets.

When will they beryllium visible?

On Saturday, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will beryllium visible to nan naked oculus if clear skies allow. Uranus and Neptune tin only beryllium spotted pinch binoculars and telescopes.

What clip is optimal for viewing?

Go extracurricular astir an hr aft sunset and task distant from gangly buildings and trees that will artifact nan view. Look to nan occidental entity and spot Mercury, Venus and Saturn adjacent to nan horizon. Jupiter will beryllium higher up, on pinch Uranus and Neptune.

How to cognize if you've spied a personnel of nan parade?

“If it’s twinkling, it’s a star. If it is not twinkling, it’s a planet,” said planetary intelligence Sara Mazrouei pinch Humber Polytechnic successful Canada.

The parade should beryllium visible complete nan play and successful nan days after. Eventually, Mercury will front retired and dip beneath nan horizon.

At slightest 1 agleam satellite is visible connected astir nights, according to NASA.

Glimpsing galore successful nan entity astatine erstwhile is simply a nosy measurement to link pinch astronomers of centuries' past, said planetary intelligence Emily Elizondo pinch Michigan State University.

Ancient astronomers utilized to make consciousness of nan beingness “just by looking up astatine nan stars and nan planets,” Elizondo said, “which is thing that we tin do today.”