The ‘planet parade’ is back: How and when to see the seven-planet February 2025 alignment in the night sky

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In this hectic modern world, it’s natural to feel like your ducks aren’t in a row, but every so often the planets seem to align. This week, Mercury is joining Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune for a seven-planet parade (although not all of them will be visible to the naked eye). Here’s what that all means and how best to see it.

How exactly do planets align?

According to NASA, the term planetary parade isn’t really a technical term in astronomy, but it’s cute and paints a fun picture. Additionally, planetary alignment has a few different meanings; it can refer to when the planets line up with each other or when they line up with the moon or stars. For our purposes, we are referring to the latter. 

The eight planets in our solar system all orbit the sun on “a relatively flat, disc-shaped plane.” Almost a metaphor for life, each planet moves at its own speed along the orbit. Because of this, it is inevitable that they occasionally line up from time to time.

How often does this happen?

It all depends on your perspective. According to NASA, this is not a rare occurrence, but it does not happen every year. For Dr. Gerard van Belle, director of science at Lowell Observatory, this is just another day at the office. “On the scale of supermoon to death asteroid, this is more a supermoon sort of thing,” Dr. van Belle explained to the New York Times.

Both NASA and Dr. van Belle do acknowledge that even though it is not rare, it is still a fun phenomenon to witness.

How to see the planets align in February 2025

This week is prime viewing for stargazers hoping to catch the planets in action. For most places in the world, the evening of Friday, February 28, is the optimal viewing night. Enter your location into the Sky Tonight app to confirm and head outside right after sunset.

Which planets are part of the parade?

You won’t need special equipment to see Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Mars. For Uranus and Neptune, binoculars or a telescope are a must. Be careful with your eyes when spotting Saturn as it is close to the sun and low in the horizon.

After you take in the wonders of the night sky, you might find yourself inspired to bring more alignment into your own life by, for example, syncing up with your coworkers on a project (even the annoying ones). If the planets can come together, maybe you can, too.

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