Six planets due to parade across night sky in rare celestial spectacle

The Guardian - World NewsEN 3 min read 100% complete by Nicola Davis Science correspondentFebruary 27, 2026 at 03:59 PM

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Six planets – Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Mercury, Neptune, and Uranus – will be visible in the night sky in a rare planetary alignment around February 28th. The planets will appear in a curved line across the sky, best viewed in the early evening (around 5:45 PM in the UK and 6:00 PM in the US) with a clear, unobstructed view to the west. While Jupiter and Venus will be easily visible, binoculars or a telescope are recommended to spot Neptune and Uranus. NASA has released new sonifications of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus in celebration of the event. This alignment is occurring because the planets' orbits have brought them into roughly the same area of the sky from Earth's perspective, a phenomenon that is relatively rare with six planets, and the next full lineup will not occur again until 2040.

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Key Player Opposition Context

Chandra X-ray Observatory 40% Royal Observatory, Greenwich 40% University of Lancashire 40% Ed Bloomer 50% NASA 60% Megan Argo ×470% Neptune ×370% Uranus ×370% Mercury ×480% Venus ×480% Saturn ×590% Jupiter ×590%

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planets 100% planetary alignment 90% night sky 80% saturn 70% venus 70% celestial spectacle 70% jupiter 70% mercury 60% astronomy 60% uranus 50%

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Jupiter

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planets planetary alignment night sky saturn venus celestial spectacle jupiter mercury astronomy uranus

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