See 6 planets align on January 21
Planet Parades during the June 2024 Outburst: Saturn, Moon, Jupiter, and Mars at “Oppossibility”
In June 2024, a planet parade featuring Saturn, the Moon, Mars and Jupiter was on display in the morning sky but only two planets could be observed with the naked eye.
Meanwhile, Mars is at “opposition” this month. That’s when a planet and the sun are directly opposite each other with Earth in between. This celestial event happens about every two years for the red planet.
Venus and Saturn were close to each other in the beginning of the year. The planets will show up close to Earth on Friday and Saturday, just a couple of finger width’s away from the perspective of Earth. (Though in reality, there are hundreds of millions of miles between them.)
It is advisable to view the planets shortly after sunset, when three of them set between 9 and 10:30 pm. It is possible to find the exact time of your location on a website like Time and Date.
The alignment will be visible for about a month, until mid to late February. The planets’ positions will not be the same on January 21 as they were in February.
It’s not uncommon for pairs of two planets to be somewhat common, but aligned of five or more is very rare. After the two planetary alignments this year, the next one won’t happen until after 2040.
Early Skywatching on January 21st: Mars, Uranus, and Vallis Marineris with a Backyard Telescope
It’s best to start skywatching earlier in the evening if you can, because Venus, Saturn, and Neptune will move lower toward the horizon before setting, and so will become more and more difficult to see as the evening goes on.
On January 21, Mars will be in the east, directly under the constellation Gemini. The Red Planet will be visible all night long because it has just reached opposition, which means the Earth is directly between it and the sun.
The naked eye can see Mars. But if you use a backyard telescope, you’ll be able to see its north polar ice cap, which spans more than 600 miles, and the Vallis Marineris, the largest canyon in the solar system, which runs along Mars’ equator and is over 1,800 miles long.
Jupiter will be visible for most of the night: It rises in the mid to late afternoon on January 21 and sets between about 3 and 5 am on January 22, depending on your exact location.
On the 21st, Uranus will be about 50 degrees to the west of Jupiter and slightly below it. The bright star cluster is visible to the naked eye, and it appears to be near Uranus.
You will need a pair of high-powered binoculars or a backyard telescope to see Uranus, as it’s too dim to easily see with the naked eye. Through such equipment, Uranus looks like a star with a pale blue tint. Although Uranus has rings, they are too faint to see, even with viewing equipment. However, if you have a powerful backyard telescope, you could potentially see its moons.