Planets Aligning Tonight — planets aligning tonight: How and when to see six planets
planets aligning tonight presents a rare, if challenging, chance to watch Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Neptune, Uranus and Mercury line up in a planetary parade. Observers are advised to prepare their viewing site, check equipment and hope for cooperative weather.
Planets Aligning Tonight: Where to look
This week's naked-eye planetary action will take place low in the western sky. Viewers should stake out a raised location with a clear view of the horizon well ahead of time. The advice in the field is simple: plan and be ready, because a spot of luck with the weather will help determine whether the alignment can be seen.
How the parade appears
Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Neptune, Uranus and Mercury form the list of planets participating in the planetary parade this week. Mercury will appear about 10 degrees above the late winter skyline — roughly the width of a clenched fist held at arm's length — with Venus close to its left and floundering in the glow of the setting sun. Saturn will glow less than 10 degrees to the upper left of Venus, with a distant cousin lurking nearby.
Timing and immediate visibility
Mercury and Venus will follow the sun out of sight roughly an hour after sunset, briefly becoming more visible as the sky darkens and they grow closer to the horizon. Jupiter will shine high in the eastern sky, with the waxing gibbous moon below it; the moon's reflected light will obscure the stars of the constellation Cancer.
Finding Uranus and Neptune
The next two planets will need added magnification. The ice giant Neptune will sit two degrees to the right of Saturn but will be too dim for the unaided eye. Under dark skies, a telescope with an aperture of 8 inches (200 millimeters) or more can reveal Neptune's tiny bluish disk. However, its low position on the horizon and proximity to the glare of our parent star will make it a challenge to spot on the nights surrounding Feb. 28. Uranus can be located by sweeping a scope across the patch of sky 5 degrees below the Pleiades open star cluster, to the right of the "V" formation of stars in the constellation Taurus, in the hours following sunset.
Preparation, tools and safety
Observers are encouraged to use a smartphone stargazing app or smartphone astronomy app; these tools often use augmented reality technology to help pinpoint constellations, planets, galaxies and meteor shower radiants, removing the need to guess. As always, the utmost care must be taken to ensure that the sun is firmly below the horizon before pointing telescopic equipment in its general direction.
