Much has been said about what is being referred to as “the planetary parade” this month. This January , several planets will be visible from here on Earth. A planetary alignment  occurs when three or more planets appear on the same side of the Sun relative to Earth, and although this is not itself an uncommon occurrence, this many planets appearing to us at the same time is special. This January, six planets are visible at the same time, and four of those you can see with the naked eye (without any long-distance visual aid such as a telescope). This is due to these six planets happening to be on the same side of the Sun.

To understand why this is cool, it is important to note that these planets don’t exist in quite the neat lines we might have made in our science fair exhibits. But the planets do orbit on a flat plane from the Sun, called the ecliptic . Think about putting several objects on a rotating table. Each of these objects has their own properties and speed at which they would move around the table, but they all remain on that flat surface, creating some semblance of order if you are eye-level to the table. From now through Fri., Feb. 28, you can see Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars. Add in a telescope, and you might see Uranus and Neptune as well! This month has been full of exciting planetary events! On the 17th and 18th , Venus and Saturn were extra close together in what’s known as a planetary conjunction.

If you want help navigating the night sky, you can check out our astronomy calendar ! You can also download a free app like SkyTonight  or use a web tool like Time and Date . Enjoy the planetary display, and in the words of Coldplay, “look how they shine for you.”