HomeTop StoriesA planetary alignment will take place on January 21st. How can you...

A planetary alignment will take place on January 21st. How can you see that in California

Astronomy fans know that 2025 started with a meteor shower, but there’s another big show coming that should also be on your radar.

Here’s what you can look forward to and how you can watch.

Planetary alignment on January 21st

According to Starwalk.space, planetary alignment occurs when several planets gather close to one side of the sun at the same time.

This is colloquially called a ‘planetary parade’ or a ‘parade of planets’, but according to NASA, these are not astronomical terms used to describe the event.

How does planetary alignment work?

The crescent moon will join the planets Mercury, Venus, Uranus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn over Melbourne Beach on Friday, June 24, 2022.

All planets orbit the sun along the same orbital plane, known as the ecliptic on Earth, and they all travel along it, eventually overtaking each other over time. Once the planets meet, they will appear to align as they travel past Earth, but according to Space.com, the line won’t be perfectly straight.

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Because each planet moves at different speeds, the alignment will only last a short time depending on each planet’s distance from the Sun. This is also why planetary alignments do not always contain the same number of planets.

  • A conjunction occurs when two or more planets are close together in the sky.

  • A mini-planetary alignment includes three planets.

  • A minor planetary alignment includes four planets.

  • A major planetary alignment includes five or six planets.

  • A major or complete planetary alignment includes all the planets of the solar system, and sometimes Pluto.

How to view the planetary alignment on January 21st

In this NASA handout photo, the full moon, also known as the January Wolf Moon, rises behind the Lincoln Memorial and Memorial Bridge on January 13, 2025, as seen from Arlington, Virginia.

In this NASA handout photo, the full moon, also known as the January Wolf Moon, rises behind the Lincoln Memorial and Memorial Bridge on January 13, 2025, as seen from Arlington, Virginia.

According to Starwalk.space, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus and Saturn will be in the sky on the evening of January 21.

Of these six planets, Mars, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn will be visible to the naked eye. To see Neptune and Uranus, you need powerful binoculars or a telescope. For the best view, make sure there are no tall buildings or tall mountains nearby.

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On January 21, the spectacle is generally most visible around the world, but ideal viewing time may vary depending on your exact location.

If you miss the event on the main day, the planetary alignment may be visible for several days before and after that date.

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Planetary alignments in 2025

MARS, SPACE: This photo taken on December 1, 2003 from the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft shows the planet Mars as seen from a distance of about 5.5 million km. This is a very unusual view of Mars because the planet is illuminated in a way never seen from Earth. The sun shines on part of the Western Hemisphere, but more than a third of Mars' disk lies in darkness. The dark features at the top are part of Mars' northern lowlands, where oceans may have existed thousands of millions of years ago.

MARS, SPACE: This photo taken on December 1, 2003 from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft shows the planet Mars as seen from a distance of about 5.5 million km. This is a very unusual view of Mars, because the planet is illuminated in a way never seen from Earth. The sun shines on part of the Western Hemisphere, but more than a third of Mars’ disk lies in darkness. The dark features at the top are part of Mars’ northern lowlands, where oceans may have existed thousands of millions of years ago.

After January’s planetary alignment, there are a few times throughout the year when you can see multiple planets together, including:

  • February 28, when Saturn, Mercury, Neptune, Venus, Uranus, Jupiter and Mars align in the evening.

  • April 15, when Neptune, Mercury, Saturn and Venus align in the morning.

  • August 11, when Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and Saturn align in the morning.

This article originally appeared in Delaware News Journal: Planet Alignment 2025: See parade of planets in California on January 21

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