
This month, a rare and thrilling celestial event is unfolding: a planetary alignment that will quite literally illuminate the skies. We’ve seen this amazing event already unfold in January, and now get a second chance. You can enjoy the planet parade with the naked eye!
What planets are aligned?

Throughout February, 2025, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus and Saturn will align. You can see Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars with the naked eye. While you can also spot Neptune and Uranus, you may need a telescope.
When and where to see the planet parade?

The planets will actually remain aligned for the whole month, but the best visibility is during the first 2 weeks.
According to timeanddate.com, a good time to observe this planet parade in San Diego is between 6 – 9 PM, with the best being right after sunset. Venus, Mars and Jupiter will be the easiest to spot.
For the best view, try to get out of the city, away from bright lights, away from high buildings – or high mountains that could block your view.
What’s a planet parade, or a planetary alignment?

Planets always appear in a line. It’s not a perfectly straight one, but still a line. According to NASA, “it’s called the ecliptic, and it represents the plane of the solar system in which the planets orbit around the Sun”.
Therefore, the alignment itself isn’t particularly rare. As planets orbit the sun at different speeds, they naturally catch up with each other from time to time for brief periods. How brief depends on their distance from the sun. What makes this event special isn’t the alignment itself, but the fact that we can see four planets at once with the naked eye.
While this isn’t the rarest celestial event, it’s not an annual occurrence either, making it well worth witnessing for astronomy enthusiasts…or those in need of a really cute date night.
Can we expect more planetary alignments soon?
Missed this one? There are more alignments that we expect to easily see during the next couple of months:
- March 8: Mercury joins the alignment briefly, between Saturn and Venus
- Mid-April: we expect Neptune, Mercury, Saturn and Venus to align, but this time in the morning
- August: we expect another morning alignment
Happy gazing, San Diego!