Planetary Alignment 2026: How and when to see six planets aligned in a planetary parade
The planetary alignment 2026 will bring Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Mercury, Neptune and Uranus into a rare curved line across the night sky around 28 February and for a few days either side, creating a visible planetary parade and prompting new sonifications released by NASA.
Which six planets will appear together, and how they will look
Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Mercury, Neptune and Uranus will all be visible at the same time in the night sky, appearing in a curved line. Venus will be the brightest of the bunch, with Mercury much fainter to its right, and Saturn and Neptune a little above. Uranus will be faint and will sit below the group of stars known as the Seven Sisters. Binoculars or a telescope will be needed to spot Neptune and Uranus.
Timing and where to go: evenings around 28 February
On 28 February, and for a few days either side, all six planets will be visible. Observers are advised to head outside in the early evening—around 5. 45pm in the UK and 6pm ET in the US—and find a spot with a clear view to the west, preferably up a hill with an unobstructed vista. In the northern hemisphere, Jupiter will be visible high in the south-east, while Mercury, Saturn, Neptune and Venus will appear in a cluster close to the horizon in the western sky.
Planetary Alignment 2026: why this parade is rare
Dr Megan Argo, reader in astrophysics at the University of Lancashire, said the alignment is happening because the planets’ orbits have brought them into roughly the same area of the sky from Earth’s perspective and that each planet circles the sun at a different speed, so they constantly shift position. She noted that while it is fairly common to spot four or five planets at the same time, seeing six is much rarer; all seven were visible together last year and the next full line up will not occur again until 2040.
NASA sonifications, moon in the mix, and safety guidance
In celebration of the event, NASA released new sonifications—astronomical data from its Chandra X-ray Observatory translated into sound—for Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. Dr Argo added that the moon will be in the mix over the next couple of days, meaning observers will see “quite a lot of the visible solar system. ” She suggested that a stargazing app can help find Uranus, and that a pair of binoculars would also help. Observers were warned never to look at the sun through binoculars or a telescope because it could cause permanent damage to the eyes.
How the view differs in the southern hemisphere, and Australia specifics
Dr Ed Bloomer, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, said the event will also be visible in the southern hemisphere with a similar pattern, although the parade will appear reversed compared with the northern hemisphere. In Australia, Jupiter will be seen in the north and Uranus will be visible in the north-west just above the Seven Sisters. In Australia, the Sun sets a little later at the moment, so after 6. 45pm local time is when to head outside; Mercury is so close to the horizon at sunset that it is unlikely to be visible in Australia, and Venus will set by 7. 15pm there, so observers will need to be quick to catch it.
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