How to see the historic alignment of 7 planets that will take place this Friday, February 28: now or wait 400 years

This Friday, February 28, skywatchers in the United States will be treated to a rare celestial event: the alignment of seven planets. This extraordinary phenomenon, which happens only once every 500 years, will feature Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune lining up in the night sky.

To catch this “planet parade,” look to the western horizon just after sunset. While Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn will be visible to the naked eye, you’ll need a telescope or high-powered binoculars to see Uranus and Neptune.

The planet parade will be visible on clear nights during the first few hours of darkness in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Planetary Alignments: A Celestial Event

According to NASA, planetary alignments are considered celestial events that occur periodically, depending on how long it takes each planet to orbit the Sun. The upcoming event on Friday is known as a “great alignment” or “super planetary alignment” because more than five celestial bodies will align.

NASA has confirmed that the planets aligning on Friday, February 28, 2025, will be:

The 2025 Planet Parade began back on Tuesday January 21 and concludes this Friday. Saturn appears less than 10 degrees above the horizon as sunset fades, making it difficult to observe for most people. While Mercury briefly joins Saturn in the post-sunset glow at the end of February, both planets will be too low and faint for most observers to spot.

When will the seven plants align again?

NASA has revealed that this seven-planet alignment won’t happen again until the year 2492, making it a highly anticipated event that millions will be able to witness with their own eyes.

An interesting note is that the alignment might not be perfectly linear. While the planets may not form a literal straight line, the term “alignment” refers to the fact that all seven planets will be visible and very bright in the night sky

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