EVERY single planet in our solar system is set to be viable in days as a rare planetary parade lights up the sky.
The rare phenomenon will see Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune all appear in full alignment.
Stargazers will be able to catch the phenomenal event this week[/caption]
Experts have also revealed the best time to see the event[/caption]
A planetary alignment or parade is an astronomical term that is used to describe an event in which several planets gather closely on one side of the sun at the same time.
And while a row of four or five planets aligning happens regularly, six or seven aligning at one time is incredibly rare.
This is because each planet takes a different amount of time to orbit the sun.
For example, Earth takes 365 days to complete one orbit, while Neptune takes 60,190 Earth days.
When is the planetary parade?
Stargazers will be able to see the phenomenal event on Friday, February 28, to see all of the planets align in the night sky.
At the moment, six planets are already aligned with Mercury set to be the seventh to appear.
It will appear just above the horizon in a few days time.
However, not all of the planets will be visible to the naked eye.
While most of the planets will look like extra bright stars, you will need a telescope or binoculars to view Neptune and Uranus.
The next planetary alignment of five or more planets will be in late October 2028 and then in February 2034.
However, because an alignment of seven planets is so rare, it will be 15 years before it happens again.
This means stargazers won’t be able to see it in the night sky until 2040.
How can I see it?
Experts have revealed the best time to witness the rare phenomenon.
Just after sunset when the stars begin to appear is the ideal time to see it in the sky.
Even people in cities and light-polluted areas will be able to see most planets.
However, it is advisable to find a darker location to make the most of the event.
Dr Christopher Barnes, a senior lecturer at the University of Derby, told The Independent: “Mars will appear in the east, Jupiter and Uranus in the southeast, and Venus, Neptune, and Saturn in the west.
“Even people in cities and light-polluted areas will be able to see most of the planets, but for the best views, it is advisable to find a darker location.
“Almost all the planets will be visible to the naked eye, except for Uranus and Neptune, which will require binoculars or a telescope.”
What causes the alignment?
Planets are constantly moving, which means their paths occasionally cross into an alignment in Earth’s sky, as Dr Brown explains:
“All planets including Earth move in more or less the same plane in our solar system.
“So that from our perspective the planets are always very close to the apparent path of the Sun in the sky also known as the ecliptic.
“This means they will always be along this line.
“You could compare it with cars on a straight road.
“Since they can only drive on the road they will always be found along the road in more or less a line.
“What varies is how close they are to each other and when we can see them.”
