We’re taking it as a good omen for 2025, that just a few weeks after the New Year, stargazers will be able to see the next planetary alignment illuminate skies.
This planetary parade will include six of our solar system’s planets in alignment, including: Venus, Saturn, Neptune, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus. And the phenomenon will be visible to the naked eye! Well, sort of…
Mars, Venus, Saturn and Jupiter will be discernible without aid. However, for Neptune and Uranus, you’ll likely need a strong telescope to sort them out in the sky.
Before we go further, let’s get into what a planetary parade or alignment really is. A planetary alignment transpires when multiple planets in our solar system appear to line up from the perspective of Earth. Note that this phenomenon is technically an illusion as the planets aren’t truly aligned but just appear so from their respective orbits. The last planetary alignment occurred in August 2024.
The 2025 planetary alignment will come into view around January, 21, 2025. But unlike, the astonishing supermoons or aurora borealis that were a one, possibly two-night wonder in NYC, New Yorkers will be able to view the planetary alignment through nearly the entire month of February.
But that’s not all! If for some reason you forget to look to the skies every night during the approximately four weeks of the six planet alignment, a seven planet alignment will occur on February 28th, 2025, as Mercury will join the parade.
The best time to view the 2025 planetary alignment will be after sunset, which for NYC, will be around 5pm daily in the month of January and into February. Due note, that you’ll have a few hours after dark to see the planets, but Venus, Saturn and Neptune (two of the planets visible to the naked eye) will dip below the horizon before midnight, disappearing from view.