Four “bright planets” will be visible to the naked eye through the end of January, appearing in the first couple of hours after dark: Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars. Uranus and Neptune will also be up there, but you won’t be able to see them without binoculars or a telescope. That makes six planets in total, and together they form a rare “planetary parade.”
Start by finding Venus shortly after sunset in the southwestern sky. It’s considered the brightest planet in our solar system (earning it the nickname “the evening star”), so it’ll be easiest to pinpoint. Then look for Saturn clustered nearby: the two planets were in conjunction on January 18, meaning they will still be just a few degrees apart. High overhead, you should be able to find Jupiter above the Orion constellation.
Here’s the thing that makes this month’s planetary alignment especially rare: Mars reached “opposition” in January, something that only happens approximately every two years. From Earth’s perspective, this means Mars will appear directly opposite of the Sun in the sky (look to the east 90 minutes after sunset). It will appear bigger and brighter than usual—making it one of the best times to see the Red Planet this year.
If a four-planet parade isn’t enough, grab some binoculars or a telescope to look for Uranus and Neptune along the same arc. Popular stargazing apps like SkyView, Stellarium, and Night Sky can help you pinpoint their locations via your mobile phone with AR overlays.
Mercury, as ever, is the wild card here (don’t worry, it’s not in retrograde until March). It’s visible this January in the morning sky before dawn, but won’t appear in the night sky until February. “At that point, Saturn and Neptune will be departing,” explains EarthSky.org, a media outlet that specializes in space news. “Technically, by the end of February, all seven planets will be in the sky at once. But Neptune will be impossible to see so close to the sun, and Mercury and Saturn will be challenging.”
The January 2025 planetary parade will be visible in the first few hours after dark from most places around the world, with the ideal viewing date shifting slightly depending on your exact location, according to Star Walk, a real-time astronomy app. For the clearest view, the less night pollution the better. Make a trip out of it and visit a national park, state park, dark sky reserve, or hotel with an observatory near you.
