You'll likely have heard news that a 'planetary alignment' is visible in January 2025 and into February, but are wondering what planets are actually visible, and how special this 'alignment' is.
January and February 2025 are good months for observing the planets (except for Mercury), as Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are all visible in the night sky.
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Indeed, it's been a fantastic start to 2025, Venus appearing beside the crescent Moon on 3 January and Mars having a close encounter with the full Moon on 13 January.
Venus and Saturn have been getting closer together, too, getting closest to one another on 18 January, and still be visible together in the early evenings thereafter.
But what does this so-called 'planetary alignment' in 2025 really mean? And is it really anything special?
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Planetary alignments and parades
Whether you call it a planetary alignment or a planetary parade, it's not uncommon for multiple planets to be visible in the night sky together.
And it's not uncommon for planets to be visible in a 'line' across the sky.
There is an imaginary line that the path of the Sun traces across the daytime sky, and this is known as the 'ecliptic'.
The ecliptic is due to the fact that Earth and all the other Solar System planets formed out of the same flat disc of gas and dust that once surrounded our infant Sun.
This means the planets in the Solar System all occupy roughly the same orbital plane – Earth included – and therefore all more or less follow the line of the ecliptic in the sky.
So, when multiple planets are visible in the sky, they'll located be roughly along this line. And this is one of the ways of telling the difference between a planet and a star.
It's also why so-called 'planetary alignments' are really an inevitability.
But that doesn't make them any less special to see for yourself.
Let's take a look at what this 'planetary alignment' will really look like January and February 2025.
January 2025
Head out around 19:00 UTC in January 2025 and you'll be able to see the planetary alignment of Mars, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn, as well as Uranus and Neptune, visible in the sky.
At this time, Mars will be in the east, Jupiter in the southeast, Venus and Saturn close together in the southwest.
Jupiter is visible above the constellation Orion, so it's easy to spot.
Venus looks like a remarkably bright star in the twilight sky, and is really quite beautiful to see
Mars is bright and high in the sky, having reached opposition on 16 January 2025.
Uranus and Neptune will be visible, but you'll need dark skies and a telescope to spot them.
Uranus is also high in the night sky, visible to the 'right' of Jupiter and forming a triangle with Jupiter and the Pleiades open star cluster.
Neptune is trickier to see, only visible with a telescope in the same area of sky as Venus and Saturn, losing altitude as January draws to a close.
This picture continues towards the end of January, but you'll notice Venus and Saturn getting further and further apart each evening.
Why 21 January?
You'll likely have heard 21 January being stated as the best night to see this 'planetary alignment', but the truth is the planets will be in largely the same position before and after this date.
What does happen from 21 January onwards, however, is that the Moon continues waning and losing its brilliance, getting lower and rising only after midnight.
By the end of January and into February 2025, for example, the Moon won't rise until morning, and even then will only be a very thin crescent.
February 2025
The planets continue to be visible in the night sky in February 2025, but increasing daylight and loss of altitude will mean this 'planetary alignment' won't last.
In truth, the best time to see Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in February 2025 will be at the very start of the month.
But there are a few nice stargazing sights to look out for.
On 1 February, there'll be a brilliant chance to spot something quite spectacular, and that's Venus, Saturn and Neptune in the same twilight region of the sky, surrounding a very thin crescent Moon, just 12% lit.
You'll be able to spot Venus and Saturn with the naked eye, but you'll need clear, dark skies and binoculars (if not a telescope) to be able to spot Neptune.
After the first week of February, Neptune's altitude combined with the lengthening days makes it unviable as an observable object in the night sky.
On 9 February, Mars will be very close to the Moon.
And on 24 February, Mars will appear to reverse direction, reverting from a westward to an eastward movement.
By the end of February, Mars will have dimmed considerably, but will still be high in the sky in the southwest around 22:30 UTC.
Jupiter remains bright and well-placed throughout February: keep an eye out on 6 February for its meeting with the Moon.
The planet and the Moon will be side-by-side in the night sky, Jupiter to the 'left' of the Moon, both setting in the early hours of 7 February.
Lengthening days as we head into mid-March will make the planets harder to see.
So enjoy the final weeks of winter while you can, step out on a clear night and make the most of the planets.
Share your observing experiences and images with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
