The next planetary alignment will take place on January 21, 2025. In the evening, just after sunset, six planets — Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus, and Saturn — will align in the sky. Four of these planets (Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn) will be easily visible to the naked eye. You'll need a telescope or high-powered binoculars to see Neptune and Uranus. Now, let's take a closer look at the conditions for observing the planets.
Reddish Mars (mag -1.3) will shine on the eastern horizon, in the constellation Gemini.
Bright Jupiter (mag -2.6) will be positioned a little higher, in the constellation Taurus. If the sky is dark enough, you will be able to enjoy the beautiful Pleiades, Hyades and yellow Aldebaran that surround the planet and complete the picture. You can easily identify all these objects with the help of the Sky Tonight app.
Get high-powered binoculars to see Uranus (mag 5.7). It will be in the constellation Aries, near the border with Taurus.
The next three planets will be located closer to the western horizon. Neptune (mag 7.9) will be in the constellation Pisces, but you’ll need at least a pair of powerful binoculars to spot it. Yellowish Saturn (mag 0.6) and the "evening star" Venus (mag -4.7) will be easily visible. They will shine close together in the constellation Aquarius.
To make sure you located the planets correctly, download Sky Tonight, a free stargazing app that makes it easy to identify any celestial object in the sky. To find out the name of an object above you, just launch the app and point your device at the sky – you will see the names of the planets and be able to learn more about each one.
Where & when to see 6 planets in 2025?
The planetary alignment will be visible almost everywhere in the evening hours. However, January 21, 2025 is only a general date when it will be well-seen for most locations around the world. The ideal date to view the alignment may vary depending on your location. Here is a list of different locations around the world and the dates when the planets are seen in the smallest sector of the sky during this alignment:
Abu Dhabi: January 18, 169-degree sky sector;
Hong Kong: January 18, 172-degree sky sector;
Tokyo: January 21, 157-degree sky sector;
New York: January 22, 152-degree sky sector.
Athens: January 23, 155-degree sky sector.
Note that tall buildings or high mountains near you might hide the planets from view. To see how the planets will look from where you live on a given date, launch the Sky Tonight app, select the desired date and time in the Time Machine at the top of the screen, and look at the sky map – you will see the position of the celestial objects for your location. Switch to the AR mode to see how the planets fit in with your surroundings.
In addition, the alignment is not limited to a single day but may extend for several days before and after that date. So if you missed January 21, don’t worry and try to spot planets on the other day around the date!
Resource - News Source
