Astronomers and stargazers have been excited about a visible line of planets in the night sky. There has been hype about a supposed rare seven-planet alignment, but not all seven planets will be visible to the naked eye. While planetary alignments are not uncommon, the opportunity to see multiple planets at once without instruments is rare and often referred to as a “planet parade.”
The planets in our solar system orbit the sun in a flat, disc-shaped plane called the ecliptic, which is why planets always appear along the same line in the sky. The recent planet parade began in January and will end in mid-to-late February when Saturn sinks lower in the sky each night after sunset.
Mercury is expected to join the other planets in being visible to the naked eye by the end of February. To see this planetary alignment, observers should look towards the western horizon during twilight between dawn and sunset to avoid a glow that obscures the view. While Venus and Mercury are typically closer to the sun and have faster orbits, making them less frequently visible, this event presents a unique opportunity to see multiple planets in the night sky.
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