See 6 Planets Align on January 21st

Observe the planets is one of the most amazing ways to witness the magic of the night sky – and there is no better way to see them than in a planetary alignment. This is where many planets align with 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 opportunity 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 positions of the planets, however, will change over this time, so their positions on January 21 will not be the same as at the end of February.

While conjunctions of two planets are somewhat common, alignments of five or more are quite rare. There will be two more planetary alignments with five or more planets this year, but then, the next alignment of five or more planets. it 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 want to see this planetary alignment after the sun has set and from a place away from artificial light, which makes it difficult to see objects in the night sky.

Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn and Venus appear in an arc from east to west. You can see 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 in the 21st is outlined below, but if you’re not sure where to find them, don’t worry – apps like Stellarium it can easily help you locate the planets and other celestial objects.

When to watch

The best time to see the planets is shortly after sunset, because three of them – Venus, Saturn and Neptune – set between about 9 and 10:30 pm local time. Note that the exact time each planet rises and sets will vary slightly depending on your location on Earth; you can use a website like Time and Date to find the exact times for where you are.

It’s best to start viewing the sky early in the evening if you can, because Venus, Saturn and Neptune will move lower towards the horizon before setting, and so will become harder and harder to see as the evening wears 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 largest 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 it north polar ice cap, which extends over 600 kilometersand the Valli Marineristhe largest canyon in the solar system, which runs along the equator of Mars and is more than 1,800 kilometers long.

Jupiter

Jupiter will be 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 more detail. Look for Jupiter’s cloud bands and its gorgeous Red Spot, an anticyclone that is more than 10,000 kilometers wide– 1.3 times the width of the Earth. The Red Spot is not always visible from Earth, because Jupiter’s days are about 10 hours longwhich means that the storm spends a considerable part of the time in front of the Earth on many nights. You can use it 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-afternoon on January 21 and sets between about 3 and 5 a.m. on January 22, depending on your exact location.

Uranus

On the 21st, Uranus will be about 50 degrees west of Jupiter and just below it. Uranus will appear to be close and the Pleiadesa bright star cluster that is visible to the naked eye.

You’ll need a pair of high-powered binoculars or a backyard telescope to see Uranus, because it’s too dark to see easily with the naked eye. Through such equipment, Uranus resembles a star with a pale blue tint. Although Uranus has rings, they are too faint to see, even with sight equipment. However, if you have a powerful backyard telescope, you will be able to see their moons.