February's 'planet parade': How to see the spectacular event from Europe
Seven planets are gracing the sky this month in what's known as a "planetary parade," and most can be seen with the naked eye.
These planetary alignments happen when several planets appear to line up in the night sky at once.
"They're not in a straight line, but they're pretty close together on one side of the Sun," said Hannah Sparkes, planetarium supervisor at the Bishop Museum of Science and Nature in Florida.
What is a planet parade?
The astronomical linkup is fairly common and can happen at least every year depending on the number of planets.
A similar parade took place in June last year, but only two planets could be seen without any specialist equipment.
So, why are the planets aligning? There is an imaginable line that the Sun traces across the sky known as the "ecliptic".
This has the basis in the formation of the solar system, with all the planets being formed out of the same flat plane of dust and gas.
The planets therefore follow the same imaginary line, including the Earth, which means when they appear in the sky, they roughly follow this path of the "ecliptic".
What can you see?
Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are visible to the naked eye over the last few nights in February. A faint Saturn and Mercury are located close to the horizon, making them more challenging to spot. Uranus and Neptune can only be glimpsed with binoculars and telescopes.
How can you see the alignment?
Any clear, cloudless night is ideal to spot the planets. To get in on the sighting, go outside on a clear night a few hours after sunset and face south, said Kevin Williams, planetarium director at Buffalo State University.
"It gives us a little bit better sense of our place in the solar system and the universe," Williams said.
The planet parade will begin to wane as spring arrives, and while the planets are still visible at the end of February, the increasing daylight hours may make it slightly harder to see the parade at its best.
What do I need to see the planet parade?
You might want to consider downloading stargazing apps to help with where to look, Sparkes said. These can help you locate and identify which planets you're see in the night sky, as well as other objects like satellites and constellations.
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