See 6 Planets Align on January 21

Planetary observation One of the most awe-inspiring ways to witness the magic of the night sky—and there’s no better way to see it than with planetary alignments. This is where multiple planets align next to each other.

On January 21, six planets—Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—will be visible in the sky at once, and their alignment will be easily visible from almost anywhere on Earth. But if you missed your chance to observe the night sky on January 21, don’t worry: there’s plenty of time to watch this planetary parade.

The alignment will be visible for about a month, from mid to late February. The positions of the planets, however, will change over time, so their position on January 21 will not be the same as their position at the end of February.

While conjunctions of two planets are somewhat common, alignments of five or more are quite rare. There will be two more planetary alignments involving five or more planets this year, but after that, the next alignment of five or more planets. Won’t happen until 2040.

Here’s what you need to know to see this planetary alignment.

how to watch

To get the best view, give your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness. You’ll want to view this planetary alignment after the sun has set and from a location far away from artificial light, which makes it difficult to see objects in the night sky.

Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn and Venus will appear in an arc from east to west. You can see these four planets with your naked eye; However, two of them—Uranus and Neptune—require a good pair of high-powered binoculars or a backyard telescope. Exactly where to look for each planet in the night sky on the 21st is outlined below, but if you’re not sure how to find them, don’t worry—apps like Stellarium Can help you easily identify planets and other celestial objects.

When to see

The best time to see the planets is shortly after sunset, as three of them — Venus, Saturn and Neptune — set between approximately 9 and 10:30 p.m. local time. Note that the exact time of rising and setting of each planet will vary slightly according to your position on Earth; You can use a website time and date To find the exact time where you are.

It’s best to start skywatching before dusk if you can, as Venus, Saturn, and Neptune will move lower toward the horizon before sunset and become more difficult to see as dusk approaches.

Mars

On January 21st, Mars will be in the east, directly under Gemini. Mars has just reached opposition – meaning Earth is directly between it and the Sun – so the Red Planet will look its biggest and brightest and will be visible all night.

Mars is easily visible to the naked eye. But if you use a pair of binoculars, you should be able to see it The North Pole ice cap, which extends over 600 milesAnd Mariners ValleyThe largest canyon in the solar system, which runs along the equator of Mars and is 1,800 miles long.

Jupiter

Jupiter will be west of Mars, in Taurus. Jupiter is easily visible to the naked eye. However, a pair of high-powered binoculars will let you see Jupiter’s moons and possibly its cloud bands.

A backyard telescope will let you see the giant planet in more detail. Look for Jupiter’s cloud band and its stunning red spot, an anticyclone. 10,000 miles wide— 1.3 times the width of Earth. Because the red spot is not always visible from Earth Jupiter’s days are about 10 hours longThat means the storm spends a large part of the night facing away from Earth. you can use This calculator from Sky & Telescope To see when it might be visible from your location

Jupiter will be visible for most of the night: It rises in the mid to late afternoon on January 21st and sets between 3 and 5pm on January 22nd depending on your exact location.

Uranus

On the 21st, Uranus will be about 50 degrees west of Jupiter and slightly below it. Uranus will seem close PleiadesA bright star cluster that is visible to the naked eye.

You’ll need a pair of high-powered binoculars or a backyard telescope to see Uranus, as it’s too dim to see easily with the naked eye. With such instruments, Uranus appears as a pale blue star. Although Uranus has rings, they are very faint, even with viewing equipment. However, if you have a powerful backyard telescope, you can potentially see its moon.