Rare Planetary Alignment: 7 Planets Dazzle The Night Sky Starting Tonight (image-X/StarWalk)

Starting from tonight, the Earth’s sky will be adorned with six planets of the Milky Way visible till March. Dubbed as a planetary alignment, six planets will line up for stargazers to enjoy this rare moment. The last time it happened was in 2020.

After their conjunction last week, the planets have been closing in on each other, with Saturn and Venus separated by merely a finger’s width.

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The planets won’t form a perfect line, but they will be simultaneously visible in a single part of the sky. Although they will remain separated by millions of kilometres in the vastness of space, the planets can be seen in an imperfect alignment.

Thanks to the Earth’s position in its orbit, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus are set to align with each other. According to NASA, Mars reached “opposition” in January, which is when the planet lies directly opposite the Earth from the Sun.

It is also the time when the planet is at its closest to Earth, making them appear at their biggest and brightest.

When Can You See The Alignment?

Beginning on January 21, the alignment will be visible till March. The ideal time is roughly 45 minutes after sunset. Jupiter will shine brightly overhead while Mars rises in the east.

The alignment will be visible for up to three hours until Venus and Saturn dip below the western horizon.

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Will It Be Visible In India?

Yep, the rare alignment will be visible across India depending on weather conditions and cloud cover. Almost every city in the country will be able to see the rare planetary alignment around 8:30 pm IST.

Four planets—Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn—with your naked eyes. To see Neptune and Uranus, you will need a telescope because the two planets will be extremely dim.

Planetary alignments are a rare event. So make sure you catch a glimpse of the rare celestial spectacle!