A parade of planets is coming this January, but if you miss it, you can catch it in later months. Six planets in our solar system, namely Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, and Saturn will be aligning in January. If there are clear nights, people will be able to see them. But there is greater news to come, because another planet will join the parade.
The planets aligning in January

On January 21, the half-moon will help the visibility of the planets. At that point, Saturn and Venus may be visible together in the west. Neptune may be right above Venus. Meanwhile, Jupiter may be seen in the south, with Uranus just to its right. Mars will be in opposition in the east, meaning it will be directly opposite the sun from Earth, making the Red Planet brighter than usual, says NASA. However, Uranus and Neptune won’t be easy to see without a powerful telescope.
The planetary parade in March

In the first week of March, the planet Mercury will align with the others. At that point, Mercury will be in its farthest position from the sun in its rotation. So on March 8, it may appear between Venus and Saturn by the western horizon. The slender crescent moon may also join the trio, hovering above the planets.
Neptune will be alongside Mercury, and Uranus above that, next to Mars and Jupiter. But like in January, Neptune and Uranus will not be visible to the naked eye.
The end of the planetary lineup

The end of the visible aligning planets will come on March 12. At that time, Saturn will line up with the sun, bringing about the end to the parade, according to Live Science.
Why do planets align?

Although the planets may be seen throughout the sky on other nights, it’s rare for them to align. All of the planets in our solar system rotate around the sun on the same plane, called the ecliptic. However, they each circle at varying speeds, so they can appear on opposite sides of the sky on Earth, depending on if it is morning or evening. Seeing all of the planets line up is a noteworthy event, especially for novice stargazers, who may locate these celestial bodies more easily since they appear clustered together.
Beware of misinformation

On social media, some people are announcing a planetary alignment on January 25, when all eight planets will align on one side of the sun and appear in the night sky. However, there will be only six planets present, and the alignment isn’t a unique phenomena. They always appear in a line from our perspective because they orbit the sun in the same ecliptic.
Additionally, the parade of planets will be visible for much longer than just January 25. Plus, Mercury won’t join the alignment until later. In January, it will be in the morning sky, according to EarthSky.
Planet-gazing tips

To see the parade, look toward the west, where the sun had set. As the sky gets darker, you’ll first notice Venus, which shines brighter than any stars around it. Around mid-January, Saturn will be the closest to Venus, but it’ll begin above it and inch closer to the horizon as the month goes on. Meanwhile, Jupiter will sit higher than Venus and Saturn. Then Mars will rise from the east. Mid-January might provide the best view of this reddish planet.
Naked eye or telescope?

Although these planets can be seen with the naked eye, people will need binoculars (or a very, very dark sky) to see Uranus, and a telescope to see Neptune. However, once you clock the other planets, you’ll be able to find these two planets along the same line. In February, Mercury will join the others in the evening sky, but Saturn and Neptune will be leaving the alignment at that time.