Here's When You Can See Seven Planets In The Sky At Once For 'Parade Of Planets'

Read more: Visit website

In 2024, we were lucky enough to get our eyes — covered with solar-viewing glasses, of course — on a rare near-total solar eclipse with an awe-inspiring sky-show, night owls were treated to the Perseid meteor shower and several geomagnetic storms , or the northern lights, illuminated New Jersey skies.

Now, 2025 promises to bring its own share of stunning celestial events, including the Jan. 13 wolf moon — named for the likelihood of hearing wolves howl during this time — and a magical planetary parade, known as a "parade of planets," beginning this month, where all seven planets aside from Earth will appear to line up across the night sky.

Want to catch a glimpse? Here's all you need to know on how to spot the can't-miss astronomical event.

A planetary parade is a colloquial term that means four or more planets line up in the night sky at once. It's not a technical astronomy term, according to NASA, although the space agency has been known to call it a "parade of planets."

The term may appear confusing, since the planets cannot actually fully line up in the three-dimensional solar system exactly as they may be seen in pictures; rather, it's our perspective of the planets lining up from Earth. And while the planets appearing to align isn't particularly special, seeing four or five bright planets at once doesn't happen every year, the space agency said.

While not rare to see the planets, this time you'll be able to check off sightings of multiple planets in one night's viewing.

Throughout the entire month of January, you can easily spot Venus and Saturn in the southwest for the first couple of hours after sunset, Jupiter shining brightly overhead, and Mars to the east. Uranus and Neptune are there too, but too faint to see with the naked eye and require a telescope. They will also be visible through February.

The kickoff is expected to begin after sunset on Friday , according to the Farmers' Almanac. Look south and then scan the sky from left to right (or east to west) to spot each planet, as shown in the Almanac's illustration.