January 2025 will see 6 planets visible in the night sky in extremely rare must-see event
The new year will bring us an incredibly rare event that experts are saying is a must-see.
In January 2025, six planets will be visible in the night sky at the same time.
The planets in question are Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus, making for an incredible sight down on Earth.
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They will all line up in the sky which is an extremely rare occurrence.
This planetary alignment happens when the planets are all on the same side of the sun.
The astronomical term is used to describe the event where the planets gather closely and appear to form a line in the night sky.
And you won’t even need a telescope to catch a glimpse of this phenomenon.
It will start from around January 21 and they will be visible for about four weeks, until roughly February 21.
Spotting Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will be possible without any equipment but if you want to see the full set, then you’ll need to get your hands on a telescope or a pair of high powered binoculars.
This is because the more distant planets, which are Uranus and Neptune, will be too faint to see with the naked eye.
Your best bet at catching them is just after sunset.
And the celestial wonder doesn’t stop there.
For a brief period of time, a seventh planet will also be visible in the line-up, which is Mercury.
However, it will be difficult to stop all seven planets at once because Mercury, Saturn and Neptune will all be near the sun during sunset, and might be hidden by the sunlight.
They’ll also be moving closer to the sun over time and by March, there won’t be much visibility left at all for these three planets.
Where can we spot the planet alignment?
There are multiple locations where this event will be visible, but you’re most likely to be in luck if you’re based in the US, Canada, Mexico or India.
To increase your chances, choses somewhere spacious like a field or a shoreline for your stargazing.
And avoids areas like mountains, forests and cities that can block the view of the horizon.
A similar event occurred earlier this year in August 2024, where the night sky was a spectacle.
In the line up, people could see the moon, Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune - although Neptune was only visible through a telescope.