A rare celestial event is set to take place in Earth's night skies, much to the amazement of stargazers and astronomers. On February 28, all seven planets viz., Saturn, Mercury, Neptune, Venus, Uranus, Jupiter, and Mars will neatly align in the sky in what scientists are terming a rare planetary coincidence. Though it is not uncommon for a few planets to align on the same side of the Sun at the same time, an event when all planets align is surely a rarity.
The last time all the planets lined up this way was in April last year, making the sight visible during the total solar eclipse over North America. While the grand spectacle takes place next month, six of the seven planets will appear in the sky at once in a large alignment, starting January 21.
Any number of planets, ranging from three to eight constitutes an alignment. Five or six planets showing up together is known as a large alignment, with five-planet alignments significantly more frequent than six. However, seven-planet alignments are the rarest of all.
Unlike diagrams and illustrations, the planets will not be visible in a queue. Planets orbit the Sun in different orbits in three-dimensional space which makes it almost impossible for them to come together in a straight line.
"While it's true that they [planets] will appear more or less along a line across the sky, that's what planets always do. That line is called the ecliptic, and it represents the plane of the solar system in which the planets orbit around the Sun," NASA explains.
"This is, incidentally, why we sometimes observe planets appearing to approach closely to each other on the sky, as we view them along a line while they careen around the cosmic racetrack."
Also Read | NASA Astronaut's Viral Video Of Auroras From Space Leaves Internet Divided
Where can I best view the parade of the planets?
To witness the parade of planets, get far away from city lights to an open area or hill. If the weather is clear, you will be able to see most planets to the naked eye, bar Neptune and Uranus. A telescope might help you witness these two planets.
While January was special due to the Quadrantid meteor shower, February has the ingredients to be even more special, owing to the rare alignment.
