Jupiter continues to be one of the best planets for observing in late February 2025, and it's currently positioned near two beautiful stargazing sights.
If you've heard about the seven-planet alignment occurring over the weekend of 28 February, you may be wondering whether all seven are visible from your location, and where and when to look.
The prospect of seeing seven planets at once is exciting, but may be daunting for complete beginners, especially since you'll need perfect conditions – clear, dark skies and a clear horizon – to see it.
One way of making sure you see something amazing is to concentrate on one planet and what's around it, especially if that planet is Jupiter, which is still big, bright and visible to the naked eye.
Another could be Mars, which is forming a beautiful triangle with stars Castor and Pollux.
Jupiter is located just above an orange star known as Aldebaran, which is the 'red eye' of the constellation Taurus, the Bull.
Both are visible high in the southwest sky around 20:00 UT, and both are visible without the need for binoculars or a telescope.
You can find Jupiter quite easily at the moment. Firstly, because it's so bright and visible to the naked eye.
Secondly, because it's close to the unmistakable constellation Orion, the Hunter.
Orion is visible in the south around 20:00 UT; Jupiter is above and to the right of it.
Once you've found Jupiter – which will look like a bright star – look below it and you'll see a slightly orange-hued star. That's Aldebaran.
Next, grab a pair of binoculars and study Aldebaran more closely. Near it you'll see what appears to be a disparate patch of stars forming a sideways 'V' shape.
That's the Hyades open star cluster, which also looks like the head of an arrow pointing right.
It appears as though Aldebaran is physically part of the Hyades star cluster, but often in the night sky, perspective can be deceiving.
The Hyades is actually about 150 lightyears away, whereas Aldebaran is about 65 lightyears away.
Lightyears is a measure of distance that refers to how long light from an object has taken to reach your eyes.
So when you look up at the Hyades, consider the fact that when the light you're observing left those stars, Ulysses S. Grant was president of the USA, Alexander Graham Bell was making his first demonstrations of the telephone, and Mark Twain was about to publish The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
And while you've got your binoculars or telescope trained on this area of the sky, take a look at Jupiter and see if you can spot its striped surface and its four large Galilean moons appearing as small dots either side of the planet.
For more info, read our guide on how to observe Jupiter with a telescope.
If you observe or photograph Jupiter or any planets visible tonight, get in touch and let us know by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com.
