A parade in the sky: Here's how you can see six planets in alignment this January
A parade in the sky is happening throughout January.
Six planets—including Venus, Saturn, Neptune, Mars, Uranus, and Jupiter—will appear to line up in the atmosphere.
According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophyiscal and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), four of the planets, namely Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars, will be visible to the naked eye.
"A modest telescope or high-powered binoculars will be needed to view Neptune and Uranus," the state weather bureau stated.
Preston Dyches of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a Skywatching Tips video that multi-planet viewing opportunities aren't super rare, "but they don't happen every year, so it's worth checking it out."
"Now these events are sometimes called 'alignments' of the planets, and while it's true that they will appear more or less along a line across the sky, that's what planets always do," he said.
Dyches added that the line, called the ecliptic, represents the plane wherein the planets orbit around the sun.
According to a BBC report, a planetary alignment won't be visible from Earth again until 2040.
Where and how to see it
According to Dyches, skygazers can see the planetary alignment in the first couple of hours after dark. Venus and Saturn will be visible in the southwest, Jupiter in the north, and Mars in the east. Some reports say it will be observable until February.
To see the planet parade, you can download a few apps like Night Sky on iOS and Stellarium for iPhone and Android.
Those who want to see the planetary alignment may head to the DOST PAGASA Planetarium in Quezon City, which is open from Mondays to Fridays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The admission fee is P25 per person.
