February’s ‘rare planetary alignment’ is coming — here’s what to expect from the planet parade.
Mercury, Venus, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Jupiter will appear together shortly after sunset on Feb. 28 — but is this the "planet parade" we've been waiting for?
February 2026’s ‘planet parade’
Saturday, Feb. 28, is the date being promoted for seeing six planets in the evening sky. “On Feb. 28, we will see not one, not two, but six planets in the evening sky,” writes Alyssa Lee on the space agency’s “Watch the Skies” blog. “Mercury, Venus, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus, and Jupiter will appear shortly after sunset.
“Unfortunately, “see” is doing a lot of work here.
To have any chance at all, you’ll need:
An unobstructed view due west
Clear skies
About half an hour after sunset on Saturday, Feb. 28
Binoculars, a telescope — and most likely, a healthy dose of imagination.
WilburHiggins on
Rare planetary alignment that happens at least once per year. Also at least 1/3 of them you need a high powered telescope to see.
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From the article
February 2026’s ‘planet parade’
Saturday, Feb. 28, is the date being promoted for seeing six planets in the evening sky. “On Feb. 28, we will see not one, not two, but six planets in the evening sky,” writes Alyssa Lee on the space agency’s “Watch the Skies” blog. “Mercury, Venus, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus, and Jupiter will appear shortly after sunset.
“Unfortunately, “see” is doing a lot of work here.
To have any chance at all, you’ll need:
An unobstructed view due west
Clear skies
About half an hour after sunset on Saturday, Feb. 28
Binoculars, a telescope — and most likely, a healthy dose of imagination.
Rare planetary alignment that happens at least once per year. Also at least 1/3 of them you need a high powered telescope to see.
Media today is so exhausting.