Planetary parade: How and when to spot seven planets in UK skies in rare alignment
Not one, not two, but seven planets are due to line up in the night skies later this week in a relatively rare planetary parade.
The phenomenon will see Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Mercury align, with some of the planets visible to the naked eye.
Keen astronomers may have already spotted six of the planets in late January or sky earlier this month, but on 28 February, Mercury will also join the parade.
This will mean a potential of seven planets on display at once, the Greenwich Royal Observatory says.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of the phenomenon and how to maximise your chances of spotting all seven planets.
Why do the planets align?
In simple terms, as the planets in our Solar System orbit the sun, they occasionally line up in space, according to NASA.
The term planetary alignment can refer to apparent line-ups with other planets, the moon, or bright stars.
When this happens, the planets always appear along a line or an arc, NASA adds, due to the way they are viewed from Earth.
How rare is it?
"Planetary alignments, where multiple planets appear close together in the sky, occur periodically but are relatively rare," Dr Shyam Balaji, researcher in astroparticle physics and cosmology at King's College London, said last month.
He added alignments of six or more planets happen approximately every few decades, making Friday's potential line-up even rarer.
NASA adds Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are frequently seen in the night sky, but the addition of Venus and Mercury are particularly noteworthy.
Will UK skies be clear enough to see the planets?
There's good news, and somewhat bad news - depending on where you are in the UK.
Sky News meteorologist Jo Robinson says there's high pressure over the UK on Friday, meaning the weather looks good for people getting ready to watch the night skies.
Most places will also be dry with clear spells, although Robinson warns temperatures will be chilly, with the Met Office predicting "widespread" frost on Friday morning.
Unfortunately, Ireland, Northern Ireland and northwest Scotland may be quite cloudy ahead of rain moving in on Friday night, Robinson says.
But, she adds, the forecast is still "several days away, so timings may change". Any delay in the rain moving in will allow for clearer skies.
An added bonus to the upcoming planetary alignment is there will also be a new moon on 28 February. This occurs when the moon is directly between the sun and the Earth, with its shadowed side pointing towards Earth.
It means that those looking into the skies on Friday will be less affected by light pollution from the moon, and may even be able to get a good look at some galaxies, the Greenwich Royal Observatory says.
Will you need a telescope?
Five planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, are typically visible to the naked eye.
However, this does not guarantee they will be visible this Friday.
The Greenwich Royal Observatory says in late February it becomes much more difficult to see Saturn as it will be very low on the southwestern horizon after sunset.
NASA adds Mercury could also be difficult for observers to see without the aid of a telescope, as it may be too faint and too low.
It says to see Neptune a telescope is absolutely necessary, while Uranus, although technically bright enough to detect with good eyesight, is "quite faint and requires dark skies and precise knowledge of its location among similarly faint stars", so a telescope is recommended.
Other top tips for planet-spotters
To help keen observers maximise their chances of seeing as many planets as possible, Dr Balaji, from King's College London recommends the following tips:
• Find a location away from city lights
• Use current astronomical software or websites to find a planet's latest position
• Exercise caution when observing near sunrise or sunset
• Check reliable astronomy websites for updated viewing information as the date approaches.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
North Wales Live
8 hours ago
- North Wales Live
When to see Strawberry Moon glow in 'major' phenomenon not seen for two decades
This month's full Moon is set for an unusual twist that won't be seen again for almost two decades. It will sit much lower in the sky due to a phenomenon known as a 'major lunar standstill', making it appear bigger and more orange . A full Moon occurs when the lunar surface facing Earth is fully illuminated by the Sun. This happens roughly every 29.5 days, which is the duration it takes for the Moon to complete one whole lunar phase cycle. The final full moon of spring in the northern hemisphere will illuminate UK skies on Tuesday and Wednesday (June 10-11). Traditonally known as the Strawberry Moon, it will be slightly different this year both in terms of position and colour. What makes June's Strawberry Moon so special? UK watchers will see this year's Strawberry Moon sitting very low in the southern sky. Not only is it the lowest full Moon of the year, but the Moon hasn't been this low in the sky since 2006 – and it won't be again until 2043. This is due to an event that happens once every 18.6 years called the "major lunar standstill", reports the Manchester Evening News. Throughout the Moon's nearly 20-year-long cycle, our lunar companion follows a unique, tilted orbit around Earth. As a result, it experiences events called major and minor lunar standstills. When these occur, the Moon rises and sets at its most extreme points on the horizon, so appearing unusually low or high in the sky. During the Strawberry Moon, Earth will be nearing its greatest distance from the Sun in its orbit, whilst the Moon will also be as far from the Sun as it can be in its orbit around Earth. This will therefore result in a full Moon that one of the year's most distant from the Sun. The Moon will also appear much larger than usual due to its proximity to the horizon, a phenomenon known as the "Moon illusion". As an added bonus for stargazers, it will be joined in the night sky by the bright red star Antares, often referred to as the "rival of Mars". Will the Strawberry Moon appear red? Not exactly. While it won't appear strawberry-red, the Moon is named after the wild strawberries that start to ripen during early summer, according to the Farmers' Almanac. Each month's full Moon is given a unique nickname. For example, January's full Moon is known as the "Wolf Moon", and February's full moon is referred to as the "Snow Moon". For June, its full Moon is called the 'Strawberry Moon'. However, this year's Strawberry Moon is special – it might even glow slightly orange or rusty red. Since the Moon will be situated so close to the horizon, it might appear a rusty red or orange due to the effect of Earth's atmosphere and how it scatters light reaching the Moon. Similar to a "Blood Moon" phenomenon seen during a partial lunar eclipse, sunlight filtered through the Earth's atmosphere scatters out most of the blue light, leaving red hues to reflect off the Moon's surface. Best time to see the Strawberry Moon The best time to see the Strawberry Moon will be at dusk on Wednesday night (June 11) It will rise at 10.46pm BST and reach its full phase at 8.44am BST. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox The Moon will also appear through Tuesday night (June 10). However, as sunrise on Wednesday morning is around 4.45am, it will already be light when it reaches its full lunar phase.
The Guardian
20 hours ago
- The Guardian
Chris Hadfield: ‘Worst space chore? Fixing the toilet. It's even worse when it's weightless'
What's the most chaotic thing that's ever happened to you in space? Launch – you go from no speed at all to 17,500 miles an hour in under nine minutes. The chaos is spectacular, the power of it is just wild, the physical vibration and force of it is mind-numbing – and it all happens so blisteringly fast. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, you go from lying on your back in Florida to being weightless in space. It's just the most amazing, chaotic, spectacular, rare human experience I've ever had. As an astronaut you have to master so many skills; have you ever not known something in space and wished you did? Onboard a spaceship, if you have an electrical problem, an attitude control problem, a propulsion problem, a computer problem – one of the first things you lose is communications with Earth. So it's really important to have all the skills on board. I served as an astronaut for 21 years and I was only in space for six months – that gave me 20-and-a-half years to not have to be surprised or flummoxed while I was in space. As an example, I qualified as an emergency medical technician. I worked in the cadaver lab [of Hermann hospital in Houston, near Nasa] to get familiar with the human body and then I worked in all of the wards of the hospital. I assisted a surgeon who was doing full abdominal surgery on an accident victim and then I worked in emergency, doing all the immediate triage. I had to get all of those skills just in case we had a medical problem on the spaceship. We take preparation really seriously so that we won't just be tourists up there. You've written six books; which book or author do you always return to? It depends which book I'm writing. I've written three nonfiction and three thrillers, and when I'm writing thriller fiction I tend to read that, because it gets your mind in the groove. I have lots of favourite thriller authors – Robert Ludlum, John D MacDonald and Jonathan Kellerman … I go back and read those, study how they make you feel so compelled. What about favourite sci-fi? [Growing up] I read Asimov and Arthur C Clarke. I got to spend a day with Arthur C Clarke – he came to the Kennedy Space Centre, I spent a whole day showing him the space shuttle and the launch site, and it was like a dream come true because he'd been one of my science fiction idols growing up. [In 2015] Ray Bradbury's family asked me to write an introduction for the Folio Society re-release of The Martian Chronicles – I'd read it once a long time ago but I'd forgotten just what an exquisitely good writer he was. The Martian Chronicles was written just after the second world war, so after the first two atomic bombs had been released and killed so many people but before the very first space flight. It was a really interesting moment in time – of both despair and disgust at human behaviour and then hope. And it's a beautiful book. How likely do you think it is that there is intelligent life in space? We have found no evidence but we know that every star has at least one planet, and our telescopes are so good now that we can actually find how many of those planets are close enough to Earth that they could support life as we know it, and it's around 5%. And so if 5% of every planet could sustain life, we can count the stars in the universe and [estimate] how many planets there are that could sustain life. And the number is staggeringly huge – it's like a quintillion of planets. So the odds are overwhelming that there's got to be life in other places … [But] it was only quite recently that life on Earth evolved – through time and chance – into multi-cellular life, and then complex life, and then to be self-aware and have intelligence. My conclusion is that life will be common: we'll find slime and scum all over the place. But intelligent life I think is exquisitely rare and I think we should internalise that and think about the level of responsibility that we should adopt. What's your favourite space movie? 2001: A Space Odyssey. I just find it fascinating and intriguing and a beautiful Stanley Kubrick adaptation of Arthur C Clarke's vision of things. It's very thought-provoking even almost 60 years later. I think The Martian is a very good movie and the Andy Weir book [it's based on] – I love that. I think Ron Howard did a beautiful job with Apollo 13 – it's almost a documentary. He worked so hard, he spent time with the astronauts, he filmed in a zero G aeroplane. Tell us your favourite fact. The most experienced astronaut in all of American history is a woman named Peggy Whitson. She's flown in space multiple times [and] been longer in space than any other American. She's commanded the space station twice. She's done 10 spacewalks and she's been the chief astronaut for Nasa. She's a tour de force. She's a good friend. She's a great person. Do you have a party trick? I'm a musician, I play guitar and sing – and I have the type of head that remembers lyrics. So my party trick is that I have probably 500 songs that I can play at any moment and know every single word and every single chord all the way from the start to the finish. It's just the way my brain works. It's kind of silly but it's really fun to be a human jukebox and have people say, 'Hey, can you play that song?' When I'm on stage in Australia, I'll have a guitar and I'll play a few songs. What's the worst space chore? Fixing the toilet. They break all the time. Being elbows deep in a toilet anywhere is no fun – it's even worse when it's weightless. And the trouble with our toilets is they have really nasty, poisonous chemicals and filters in them to try and process what's going through so that we can turn our urine and sweat back into drinking water, because we recycle about 93-94% of the water on board. What's the best lesson you learned from someone you've worked with? We were in the space shuttle simulator [with commander Kent Vernon 'Rommel' Rominger] and one of the crew members, Scott, had this cool and exciting idea. He came ripping up to the cockpit and plunked his laptop down to show him the solution to the problem and he knocked over Rommel's can of Coke – it flipped upside down and started emptying itself into all of his checklists. Rommel turned the can right side up and didn't say a thing. What this guy had come up with would be hugely important in the success of our mission. A little Coke spilled is unimportant – you can get more checklists. The natural reaction would have been, 'What the heck are you doing? Don't be so clumsy and look at the mess you made.' Instead, Rommel was like, 'Who cares? What I don't want Scott to think about next time he's got a great idea is, 'Oh, I gotta be careful I don't spill the commander's Coke.'' He should be excited about new ideas. And so, for me, it was a really great study of leadership. What song do you want played at your funeral? Danny Boy. It's a lovely reversal of how people normally look at death and who's grieving and why, and how you anticipate the grieving of death. It is an exquisitely and hauntingly beautiful song, and it's worth knowing the lyrics. Chris Hadfield's Journey to The Cosmos is touring Australia: Perth (27 June), Sydney (28 June), Brisbane (29 June), Melbourne (1 July) and Adelaide (3 July)
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Dramatic move by Pentagon hint Trump could be siding with another billionaire amid Musk fallout
The Pentagon appears to be contemplating pivoting away from Elon Musk 's SpaceX following the almighty blowup between President Donald Trump and the world's richest man earlier this week. The fallout appears to be impacting the nation's space program as the Trump administration looks toward another billionaire to replace Musk in the race to Mars. Officials at NASA and the Pentagon quietly reached out to SpaceX's competitors, urging them to accelerate development of alternative rockets and spacecraft. Decisions appear to have been taken quickly after Musk made a defiant threat to pull SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, a lifeline to the International Space Station, after Trump first threatened to cancel SpaceX's lucrative government contracts. 'It turned really terrifying,' one NASA official admitted to the Washington Post after initially finding the feud 'entertaining.' Although Musk eventually walked back his threat, the damage was done. Officials from NASA and the Pentagon, already uneasy with their reliance on SpaceX, were rattled to the core. SpaceX has become indispensable as it transports astronauts and cargo to the ISS, launches sensitive military satellites, and operates Starlink, the world's largest satellite constellation. The flare-up served to remind officials of the risks of tying national interests to a mercurial billionaire. 'When you realize that he's willing to shut everything down just on an impulse … that kind of behavior and the dependence on him is dangerous,' a former space agency official said. NASA insiders said Musk's threat 'crossed a line,' invoking memories of the 2018 episode when Musk smoked marijuana during a podcast interview, which prompted NASA to launch a safety investigation into SpaceX. The clash was also inflamed by the White House's decision to abruptly withdraw Jared Isaacman's nomination as NASA Administrator. Isaacman, closely aligned with Musk, had twice flown to space aboard SpaceX vehicles. In the aftermath, government officials reached out to Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin, RocketLab, and Stoke Space, querying when their rockets might be ready to shoulder critical missions. Fatih Ozmen, CEO of Sierra Space, which is developing the Dream Chaser spaceplane, confirmed that NASA was 'working closely' with his company stating, 'NASA mentioned to us that they want diversity and do not want to rely on a single provider.' For some insiders, it wasn't hard to connect the dots: Jeff Bezos, the founder of Blue Origin, has long been a rival to Musk. Now, with the Biden-era antagonism between Trump and Bezos thawing, some see a political recalibration. Bezos' Blue Origin has lagged behind SpaceX for years, but its New Glenn rocket is finally gaining traction, albeit slowly. The Pentagon's recent 'lanes' strategy to diversify launch providers now looks prescient, with officials seeking to avoid 'overreliance on any single provider or solution.' A source familiar with the Defense Department's strategy said the White House sees an opening to back Bezos as a counterweight to Musk's volatility. 'They want someone who's predictable,' the person said to The Post. Even Congress appeared to be spooked by the behavior. A key committee demanded updates on Boeing's long-delayed Starliner capsule, which has struggled to match the reliability of Musk's Dragon. NASA, under pressure, said Friday that Starliner's next mission could come 'early 2026,' though it remains unclear whether it will fly astronauts or cargo only. Indeed, just how reliant NASA were on SpaceX was illustrated last year when American astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were left on the International Space Station by Boeing's troubled Starliner capsule. Wilmore and Williams had set off for an eight-day Starliner test flight that swelled into a nine-month stay in space Boeing, which has taken $2 billion in charges on its Starliner development, faces a looming decision by NASA to refly the spacecraft uncrewed before it carries humans again. Boeing spent $410 million to fly a similar uncrewed mission in 2022 after a 2019 testing failure. Reflying Starliner uncrewed 'seems like the logical thing to do,' Williams said, drawing comparisons with Elon Musk's SpaceX and Russian capsules that flew uncrewed missions before putting humans aboard. She and NASA are pushing for that outcome, Williams added. 'I think that's the correct path,' said Williams, who is 'hoping Boeing and NASA will decide on that same course of action' soon. Results from Starliner testing planned throughout the summer are expected to determine whether the spacecraft can fly humans on its next flight, NASA officials have said. Todd Harrison, a defense analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, likened Musk's social media post to 'an embargo of the space station.' 'Musk was saying he is going to cut NASA off from its own laboratory in space,' he added. Harrison also recalled Musk's refusal to activate Starlink Internet for a Ukrainian military strike in 2022, a decision that raised alarms about national defense being at the mercy of a single CEO. 'The nation's missile defenses could be held hostage to the twittering whims of Elon Musk,' Harrison warned. Former NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman, who worked at SpaceX, voiced the fears of many in the astronaut corps: 'When your hopes and dreams are tied up in this, you can't help but think, "Oh my goodness, am I going to fly in space?"' Meanwhile, Trump, who once championed Musk as a visionary, appears to be cooling. His allies note that the president has no tolerance for perceived disloyalty and Musk's defiance has not gone unnoticed. Some aides believe Trump's sharp pivot is personal as much as political. RocketLab's CEO Peter Beck had previously warned how Musk's acquisition of Twitter, now rebranded as X, and his flirtation with politics could backfire. 'It certainly makes people uncomfortable. At the end of the day, if you're delivering important national security missions, the buck stops with the CEO,' Beck said. Pentagon officials remain wary, not least because few companies have rockets certified for critical national security missions. Blue Origin's New Glenn has flown once, and United Launch Alliance's Vulcan only twice. RocketLab's Neutron has yet to launch at all. SpaceX's Falcon 9 still dominates, launching with near clockwork precision. But now, Trump's administration appears ready to gamble on fostering competition, even if it means leaning more heavily on Bezos. 'Sierra Space stands ready,' Ozmen declared. Others in the sector are similarly jockeying for position, sensing that Musk's once-unshakable grip may be loosening.
