Observing the planets is one of the most awe-inspiring ways to witness the magic of the night sky—and there’s no better way to view them than in a planetary alignment. This is where multiple planets line up next to each other.
On January 21, six planets—Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—will be visible simultaneously in the sky, and their alignment will be easily visible from almost all parts of the globe. But if you miss the chance to observe the night sky on January 21, don’t worry: There is plenty of time to see this planetary parade.
The alignment will be visible for about a month, until mid to late February. The planets’ positions will, however, shift over this time, so their positions on January 21 will not be the same as their positions in late February.
While conjunctions of two planets are somewhat common, alignments of five or more are quite rare. There will be two more planetary alignments featuring five or more planets this year, but after that, the next alignment of five or more planets won’t happen until 2040.
Here’s everything you need to know to see this planetary alignment.
How to Watch
To get the best view, allow 20 to 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark. You’ll want to see this planetary alignment after the sun has set and from a location far away from artificial light, which makes it hard to see objects in the night sky.
Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, and Venus will appear in an arc from east to west. You can spot four of these planets with your naked eyes; however, two of them—Uranus and Neptune—require a good pair of high-powered binoculars or a backyard telescope. Exactly where in the night sky to look for each planet on the 21st is outlined below, but if you’re not sure how to find them, don’t worry—apps like Stellarium can help you easily locate the planets and other celestial objects.
When to Watch
The best time to view the planets is shortly after sunset, because three of them—Venus, Saturn, and Neptune—set between approximately 9 and 10:30 pm local time. Note that the exact time each planet rises and sets will vary slightly according to your location on Earth; you can use a website like Time and Date to find the exact timings for where you are.
It’s best to start skywatching earlier in the evening if you can, because Venus, Saturn, and Neptune will move lower toward the horizon before setting, and so will become more and more difficult to see as the evening goes on.
Mars
On January 21, Mars will be in the east, directly under the constellation Gemini. Mars has just reached opposition—meaning the Earth is directly between it and the sun—so the Red Planet will appear at its biggest and brightest and will be visible all night.
Mars is easily visible to the naked eye. But if you use a backyard telescope, you’ll be able to see its north polar ice cap, which spans more than 600 miles, and the Vallis Marineris, the largest canyon in the solar system, which runs along Mars’ equator and is over 1,800 miles long.
Jupiter
Jupiter will be to the west of Mars, in the constellation Taurus. Jupiter is easily visible to the naked eye. However, a pair of high-powered binoculars will allow you to see Jupiter’s moons and possibly its cloud bands.
A backyard telescope will allow you to see the giant planet in even greater detail. Look for Jupiter’s cloud bands and its stunning Red Spot, an anticyclone that is over 10,000 miles wide—1.3 times the width of Earth. The Red Spot isn’t always visible from Earth, because Jupiter’s days are about 10 hours long, meaning the storm spends a sizable portion of time facing away from Earth on a lot of nights. You can use this calculator from Sky & Telescope to see when it might be visible from your location.
Jupiter will be visible for most of the night: It rises in the mid to late afternoon on January 21 and sets between about 3 and 5 am on January 22, depending on your exact location.
Uranus
On the 21st, Uranus will be about 50 degrees to the west of Jupiter and slightly below it. Uranus will appear to be near the Pleiades, a bright star cluster that is visible to the naked eye.
You will need a pair of high-powered binoculars or a backyard telescope to see Uranus, as it’s too dim to easily see with the naked eye. Through such equipment, Uranus looks like a star with a pale blue tint. Although Uranus has rings, they are too faint to see, even with viewing equipment. However, if you have a powerful backyard telescope, you could potentially see its moons.
Uranus rises in the early to mid afternoon and sets between approximately 2 and 3 am local time on January 21–22. The presence of moonlight makes this planet impossible to view, so plan on viewing Uranus before the moon rises (which will be at around midnight).
Neptune
Venus, Saturn, and Neptune will be clustered above the constellation Aquarius, near the western horizon. Neptune will be about 9 degrees above and slightly to the east of Venus (that’s roughly the size of a fist held at arm’s length).
Neptune is only visible through a pair of high-powered binoculars or a backyard telescope. Through a pair of high-powered binoculars, Neptune looks like a star. Neptune also has rings, but those rings won’t be visible through amateur stargazing equipment.
If you have a very powerful backyard telescope and dark skies, you might be able to see Neptune’s largest moon, Triton. However, Triton will not be visible through most backyard telescopes.
Neptune rises between about 9:30 and 10:30 am and sets between about 9:30 and 10:30 pm local time, so plan on viewing it shortly after sunset before it sinks low on the horizon.
Venus and Saturn
Venus and Saturn will be low in the sky toward the west. Both Venus and Saturn are easily visible to the naked eye—Venus is the second-brightest object in the night sky, second to the moon.
Venus and Saturn will appear closest together on January 17–18, when they will be just 2 degrees apart in a conjunction. On the 21st, they will remain close together—about 3 degrees apart—so you probably will be able to see both of them together through the lenses of high-powered binoculars or a telescope.
Venus is too bright for you to see any details on its surface; however, you can spot Saturn’s moons and rings through a pair of skywatching binoculars or a telescope.
Venus and Saturn rise shortly before 10:30 am local time and set between 9:30 and 10:00 pm, so you’ll want to start skywatching earlier in the evening to see these planets before they vanish below the horizon.
Viewing Conditions
On January 21, the moon will be a waning gibbous—so about 52 percent illuminated. However, the moon will not rise until shortly after midnight local time, so it will not interfere with your ability to see the planetary alignment if you’re viewing shortly after sunset.
Viewing conditions will remain ideal throughout the rest of January (providing there isn’t cloud cover). The illuminated part of the moon will get smaller and smaller until the new moon on January 29, and the moon will rise after midnight and in the early morning hours throughout the rest of the month, creating the perfect opportunity for skywatching after sunset. However, viewing conditions will rapidly deteriorate in the first half of February, when the moon will be fuller and visible after sunset.
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