ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It doesn't happen often, but a planetary alignment will be in the night sky later this month. A planetary alignment is when multiple planets gather closely on one side of the Sun at the same time, according to Starwalk.
Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus and Mars will all be visible in a small sector of the sky. Just after sunset, starting at around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 28, look near the horizon to the west. You will see Jupiter and Mercury. Then higher in the sky Venus, Uranus and Mars will all be shining.
While most planets will be visible by the naked eye, binoculars might help pick up the duller shine of planets like Uranus. March 28 will be the peak of the alignment but the planets will all be visible multiple days before and after then.
March 28 will be one of two large alignments this year with the other coming on June 17. There will also be two more alignments in April, but those will both be small alignments with only four planets visible on April 11 and 24.
What do you have planned for September 8 17 years from now? That's when a highly anticipated planetary alignment will take place with Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn all being very close together with a crescent Moon visible between Venus and Saturn!
You might be asking, will we ever be able to see all the planets at the same time? Yes... but not in our lifetime. In 2161, all planets will gather on the side of the Sun and will be visible from Earth just before dawn.
