Upcoming ‘Rare 7-Planet Parade’ Is Mostly Hype. Here’s What’s Actually Happening in the Sky

Patty Wetli | February 25, 2025, 12:24 pm

(m-gucci / iStock)

Wondering how to catch the “rare seven-planet parade” being hyped for Friday?

It won’t be as easy as setting up a lounge chair along the route and watching the celestial orbs float by.

In fact, according to various experts, including NASA, it’s not actually possible to view all seven at once.

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So what exactly is happening in the night sky? Let’s zoom out.

What is a planet “parade” or alignment?

For starters, it doesn’t mean planets are literally lined up in a row.

But in simplest terms, what’s happening is that multiple planets, all of which orbit the sun on different schedules, are visible at the same time from our vantage point on earth.

Plenty of times, a single planet is visible in the night sky, and quite often two. Three or more simultaneously is less common, but not particularly rare. Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn have all been shining overhead for the past several weeks and on clear nights can easily be seen with the naked eye.

Indeed, Venus has been so big and bright in the western sky that it almost looks fake.

So what’s this about seven planets aligning?

Well, Neptune and Uranus are also out there and are technically “visible” along with the others, but we’ll quote NASA here: “Claims about rare six- or seven-planet alignments which include Uranus and Neptune should be viewed with the understanding that these two distant planets will not be visible to the unaided eye.”

In short: No telescope, no Uranus and Neptune.

That just leaves Mercury to account for. Up until now, it’s been a no-show, but it finally joined the party this week. It’s arriving just as Saturn is leaving, though, and both are low to the horizon. It will be challenging to locate them, even for expert observers, according to Marcy Curran, an editor at EarthSky.org and former astronomy teacher.

It would take a clear view of the western horizon, at twilight, to briefly catch Mercury and Saturn, with the glow of sunset, urban light pollution and obstructions like trees adding to the degree of difficulty.

Even still, Venus would be the only other planet “out” at that point, Curran said during an EarthSky podcast.

“You can’t see them all, and you can’t them all at the same time,” is Curran’s verdict on the seven-planet parade.

What can I see?

The trio of Venus, Jupiter and Mars will continue to shine brightly together for the next few weeks, before Venus sinks.

Enjoy the show of Venus to the west, Mars in the east and Jupiter high in the south.

On March 13-14, the entire western hemisphere will be treated to a total lunar eclipse. If the clouds cooperate, and you can manage to stay awake past midnight, this event will be impossible to miss.