a rare a parade of planets will be visible in the night sky this January 21.
Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus will be visible in the days leading up to January 21 and up to four weeks after. Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn They can be observed with the naked eye, while to see Neptune and Uranus you will need a high-powered observing device, such as a telescope.
What is a planetary parade?
A planetary parade is a colloquial term applied when four or more planets line up in the night sky both. It’s not an official astronomical term, so you’ll rarely hear astronomers use it. The official term is planetary alignment, although this term tends to generate a bit of confusion.
These planets are millions of kilometers away, but during these kinds of events, observed from certain angles of Earth, it seems that the planets are alignedalthough they do not actually form a straight line in space, since their orbits have elliptical shapes.
Although it is not uncommon for multiple planets to be seen in the sky at the same time, it is less common to see more than two at a time.
Although it can be seen anywhere in the world, to enjoy this celestial spectacle it is important to be located in areas with less light pollution or where the sky is clear. Additionally, it is important to remember that planets can be identified by their obvious lack of twinkle (stars twinkle, while planets usually shine steadily).
The best time to see the planets is around 8:30 p.m. local time. After this time, you may still be able to visualize Venus, Saturn and Neptune on the horizon. Meanwhile, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will be visible a few hours after midnight.
If you are having difficulty finding which planets will align, it is possible to use applications such as Stellariumeither Sky tonightwhich will allow you to easily identify any celestial object in the sky. Likewise, you can use the portal’s night sky map Time and dateto get an idea of the location of these celestial bodies in relation to others.
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