Planetary Parade 2025: Will it be visible from India? Know date, time, more

In a rare celestial event known as a planetary parade, six planets will align in January and seven in March. The best time to observe these phenomena is after sunset

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Planetary Alignment is a rare celestial phenomenon when more than one planet seems to align in a line parallel to the Earth. This planetary alignment takes place when all the planets are on one side of the Sun.

 

It is a rare occurrence and previous planetary parades showed several key planets, such as Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, and Venus. In some cases, planets such as Neptune and Uranus are also visible through telescopes. This celestial event will take place twice this year, i.e., January 21 and February 2.

How to watch the planetary parade in India?

The planetary parade of six planets–Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus–will be visible from India on January 21, 2025. The planetary parade will be visible for four weeks giving sufficient time to skygazers to observe the phenomenon.

Will these planets be visible through the naked eye?

Some of the planets such as Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn can be seen with the naked eye, but planets like Neptune and Uranus can only be seen with a telescope.

 

The best time to watch the planetary parade in India is after sunset at around 8.30 pm on January 21. The visibility depends on multiple factors, such as local weather conditions and light pollution in the region. 

 

The perfect way to witness this rare celestial event is from an area that is less disturbed by light, preferably a rural area or one that is away from city lights.

Is planetary alignment common?

“Occasionally, the positions of the planets align on the same side of the Sun, creating a visual phenomenon where they appear close together in the sky. This is what we call a planetary parade. In fact, these planets are actually millions of kilometres apart, their arrangement along the ecliptic plane creates the illusion of alignment when viewed from Earth,” said V S Syam, secretary, Amateur Astronomers Organisation (AASTRO) Kerala.

 

A planet alignment occurs when three to eight come into a line. Five to six planets constitute a large alignment, which is more frequent. The rarest case is when seven planets form an alignment. 

What’s Next for Stargazers?

The seven other planets, Saturn, Mercury, Neptune, Venus, Uranus, Jupiter, and Mars, will all be visible simultaneously in the night sky on February 28. The six planets' alignment is extremely uncommon, and the alignment of seven planet is even less common.