The planets are aligning in a rare phenomenon in January... here's what it means for YOU

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The planets are aligning in a rare phenomenon in January... here's what it means for YOU

Daily Mail
By MEREDITH CLARK
16 January 2025

A rare celestial event is set to take place this month, offering an eerie glimpse at a grouping of planets in total alignment.

Just days after the Wolf Moon – the first full moon of 2025, which took place on Monday, January 13 – stargazers should prepare for yet another exciting display in the night sky: a ‘planet parade.’

What is a planet parade?
Leading up to January 21, six planets will be in a ‘planet parade’ with four of them visible to the naked eye.

While ‘planet parade’ isn’t necessarily an official term used by scientists, it's the colloquial phrase for the simultaneous appearance of several planets in the sky.



Essentially, the six planets will be in ‘alignment’ with each other, appearing somewhat like they’re placed in a line across the sky. However, according to NASA, this is a usual occurrence for planets.

The location of alignment is called the ‘ecliptic,’ representing the plane of the solar system in which the planets orbit around the sun. Planet parades ‘aren’t super rare,’ the astronomical agency said, ‘but they don’t happen every year’ either.

When does the planet parade take place?
The planetary event has already begun; after dark, Venus and Saturn will be visible in the southwest all month long, with Jupiter high overhead and Mars in the east.

According to NASA, Uranus and Neptune will also be in the sky, though these planets aren’t as bright and require a telescope to be seen.

Between the 17th and 18th, Venus and Saturn will appear within just a couple of finger widths of each other but of course, the planets will still be hundreds of millions of miles apart from each other.

Mars comes into play when it reaches ‘opposition’ with Earth on Thursday evening, meaning the planet is on the opposite side of Earth from the sun. As a result, Mars is lit up by the sun’s rays, making it appear larger and brighter.

For Mars, oppositions happen about every two years. While this isn’t the ‘most spectacular’ opposition of Mars, NASA stated, the planet is still closer than usual.

The planet parade will continue into late February, Outside Magazine reported. Mercury will even make a brief appearance, making it the seventh planet to be in the sky at once.

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