5 Planets Are Set To Align In Rare And Beautiful Occurrence. Here’s How To See It

Stargazers should keep their eyes to the sky to witness a rare “planetary parade” over the next few days. 

Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and Mars are set to align in an arc formation on the nights of March 25 through 30 in a unique occurrence that has even Buzz Aldrin excited.

According to Star Walk, these “beautiful celestial events” are called planetary alignments, an astronomical term for a gathering of several planets on one side of the sun at the same time. "Planetary parade" is the colloquial term used to describe multiple planets present at once.

The last planetary alignment took place in June 2022, when Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus formed an arc visible from Earth. 

Bill Cooke, a lead at NASA's meteoroid environment office, told CBS News that this upcoming alignment will look "very pretty."

"If you go outside, right at sunset, right after the sun goes down and look west, you'll see these planets strung out in a line extending about 50 degrees or so," he said. "Anybody who can see the sun will be able to see it.”

For optimal viewing, experts recommend finding a spot with a clear, unobstructed view of the western horizon. With the naked eye, you’ll be able to see Jupiter and Mercury appear as two bright objects low on the horizon, and Venus a bit higher. Strong binoculars will be required to see Uranus nearby and Mars closest to the moon.

"Uranus is going to be the rare critter that you'll be looking for in that alignment," Cooke told CBS News. "If you're collecting planets, here's the chance to add Uranus to your collection." 

This large planetary alignment—classified by an alignment of five or six planets—will be visible for the five-day stretch, but March 28 will reportedly be the best day for observation.