You won’t need a telescope for this one.
Our solar system’s planets are set to align in a seven-strong planetary parade this week that will be visible in the UK night sky.
The celestial event is set to be an extension of the already impressive six planets that aligned last month with the closest planet to the sun, Mercury, set to join the party.
This will lead to a full house of Solar System planets being on display at the same time – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
The official astronomical term is planetary alignment, which describes the event when several planets gather closely on one side of the Sun at the same time.
Five of these planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) will be easily visible to the naked eye. You’ll need a telescope or high-powered binoculars to see Neptune and Uranus.
Six of the planets have been on display throughout January and February, while to catch all seven you’ll only have one evening for the occasion.
Weather permitting, the 28th February will be the night to catch the historic glimpse, with such alignments rarely happening due to the planets’ varying orbits.
To make sure you find every planet easily, use the free Sky Tonight app.
The app is user-friendly, perfect for beginners and experts alike.
Jenifer Millard, a science communicator and astronomer at Fifth Star Labs in the UK said: “There is something special about looking at the planets with your own eyes.
“Yes, you can go on Google and get a more spectacular view of all these planets. But when you’re looking at these objects, these are photons that have travelled millions or billions of miles through space to hit your retinas.”
It’s certainly been a year for remarkable astronomical events so far, as a once-in-a-lifetime comet passed by Earth last month.
Meanwhile, only this week the Earth was put on heightened alert as it was revealed a building size asteroid was heading towards Earth with a 2.3% chance of hitting home.
This has spurred plenty of discussion, with the European Space Agency (ESA) issuing a planetary response for the first time ever, while even Professor Brian Cox admitting this big ball of space rock and ice could pose a problem.
Fortunately we won’t have to worry about it until 2032, so there’s plenty of time to find a solution!
