Seven planets will line up for a rare “planetary parade” today, and you can watch it live online.
The planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — plus the moon — align in the night sky just after dusk today (Feb. 28). Most of the planets will be visible to the unaided eye, but you will need a good telescope to see the full show. You can also view this spectacular planetary alignment during a free webcast this afternoon, hosted by the Virtual Telescope Project in Italy (weather permitting).
Starting at 12:00 p.m. ET (1700 GMT), astrophysicist Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project will stream live telescope views of all seven of the planets in marching order. You can watch the livestream here on Space.com courtesy of the Virtual Telescope Project or directly on their WebTV page or YouTube channel.
Related: Astrophotographer captures ‘rare’ planetary parade as 7 planets align in the night sky (photo)
“Such a parade happens from time to time and we wish to share this event with our friends around the world,” Masi said in a statement announcing the webcast.
While most of these planets have been visible in the night sky since January, Mercury is the latest planet to join the procession, reaching its highest point above the horizon. The seven planets will share the sky for a few days before Mercury and Saturn sink too low on the horizon for most people to see.
This type of planetary alignment — referred to by many as a planetary parade — occurs because the planets orbit the sun on a relatively flat, disk-shaped plane. While it is not uncommon for multiple planets to be visible at the same time, it is rare for all seven to line up at once. In fact, the next such alignment won’t be visible until 2040.
To see the seven planets in the sky, it’s recommended that viewers find a spot with minimal light pollution on a clear night. While five of the planets appear big and bright enough to be seen by the unaided eye, a telescope or pair of binoculars are needed to see Uranus and Neptune, given they reside furthest from Earth and thus appear much dimmer in the night sky.
With telescopes located in coastal southwestern Tuscany, the Virtual Telescope Project has access to unobscured skies, offering optimal viewing conditions for the planetary parade. Be sure to watch the live online feed shortly after sunset locally, when all seven planets appear in view.
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