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21/1/25
Planet Parade
What is a planet parade? Well, from this week and throughout February it is going to possible to see almost all the planets in our Solar System in the nights sky all at the same time. It is almost like they are lining up in the sky on parade for us to see them! How amazing is that?
When it is dark it is easy to see lots of stars in the sky. While these stars are fixed in place the planets move around in our night sky. The word planet in fact comes from the Greek word for wanderer, as the planets wander about the sky while the stars stay in place.
If you know what you are looking for you can often see some of the planets amongst the stars when you look up in the sky. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn can often be seen in the night sky. Venus and Mercury can be seen less regularly. Both these planets orbit closer to the Sun than Earth so have faster orbits than us and all the other planets. Venus is visible only for a couple of months at a time. While Mercury is only visible for a couple of weeks (or even a few days) at a time!
But this week and for a lot of February it is extra special as you’ll be able to see lots of the planets at the same time. For a couple of hours after it gets dark you’ll be able to see Venus and Saturn in the southwest, Jupiter high overhead, and Mars in the east. Neptune and Uranus will also be visible, but only with a telescope. The only planet not in the line up is Mercury, but it might be visible later in February along with the other planets. It is thought the next plant parade like this won’t be visible till 2040!
Venus and Mars
Venus is very easy to spot in the night sky as it is incredibly bright. If you can see a light that is much brighter than the rest in the sky it is probably Venus! You will be able to see Venus in the night sky really clearly for the whole of February.
Mars is also really easy to spot as unlike all the other planets and stars it is an orange / red colour. It is hard to miss!
Saturn and Jupiter
To spot Saturn, first find Venus and Saturn will be close by. It should be easy to see at the beginning of the month, although it won’t look as bright as Venus. Later on in the month it will slowly get further and further away from Venus, sinking down in the sky and become harder to see.
Jupiter again won’t look as bright as Venus but can still be seen quite clearly. Jupiter will be in the middle of the sky between Venus and Mars. If you have a telescope at times some of Jupiter’s biggest moons will also be visible!
Uranus and Neptune
During this time Uranus and Neptune will also be visible in the night sky. You might be able to make out the dim light of Uranus if you have good eye sight or live in a particularly dark place without lots of lights at night time. But you’d probably need a telescope.
To see Neptune you’d definitely need a telescope, although it is there in the line up you won’t be able to see it without one.
Mercury
Mercury might join this line up by the end of February, but actually for most it might be tricky to see. This is because it will probably be too low down in the sky.
Find out more about the planets...
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