The arrangement of the planets on February 24.
What's all this hype about a planetary alignment? Well, it's not really an alignment, but it is a rare chance to see all the planets of our solar system at the same time. A less misleading term that has been used is a "planet parade." The orbits of all the planets lie almost in the same plane, so from our point of view, they always appear to form a line in our sky, known as the ecliptic. That part is nothing out of the ordinary. What is special is that all the planets (besides Earth) lie within one hemisphere of our sky that doesn't include the Sun, meaning they can all be seen at the same time. But if you could look at our Solar System from outside the ecliptic plane, the planets are definitely not in a line. (See diagram to the right.) The last time we had this configuration was in December 2022, although some people got to see seven planets during the daytime in the total solar eclipse of April 2024. But the next opportunity may not be until 2161, so definitely go check it out!
The big event is just after sunset on February 24. Mercury and Saturn are close together near the western horizon, with Mercury actually being brighter than Saturn. You may need binoculars or a telescope to help you see them in the last glow of daylight. A little higher is Neptune, but you will definitely need a telescope to see that one. Higher still and much easier to spot is Venus. Next, much higher above that is Uranus, right at the limit of human vision in a perfect dark sky, meaning you'll probably need binoculars or a telescope to see that. Then Jupiter is bright and nearly overhead. And finally, Mars is fairly high in the east.
Where you will find the planets in the sky after sunset on February 24. The planets have been enlarged so that they are visible.
For about two months prior to this we'll be able to see six planets at once, with Mercury being the only one missing.