Six-Planet 'Parade': Dazzling Planetary Alignment Delights California Stargazing Fans

A rare "planetary parade" drew skywatchers across California on Saturday night, as six planets lined up across the sky with four of them visible to the naked eye shortly after sunset.

The spectacle happened on Feb. 28, when Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune were all above the horizon in the early evening, creating a broad arc from the western to eastern sky.

In California, observers were told to look toward the low western horizon 30 to 60 minutes after sunset, where Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn appeared close together along a gentle line, according to CBS News.

Under clear conditions, these four brighter planets were visible without a telescope, while Uranus and Neptune required binoculars or small telescopes to spot their much fainter glow.

Local and national astronomy groups had promoted the event for weeks, calling it a chance for casual stargazers to see multiple planets in one view. Planetary "parades" happen when several planets appear in the same general region of the sky, even though they remain far apart in space and orbit the Sun at different distances.

NASA and astronomy educators stressed that the alignment is a line of sight effect from Earth and not a sign of any unusual gravitational influence or danger, the BBC reported.

For California viewers, timing and location were important. Experts advised people to find an open western horizon, away from city buildings and hills that could block low-lying planets, and to start watching soon after the Sun dipped below the horizon before the twilight sky grew too bright.

Venus, shining as the brightest evening planet, acted as a guide, helping observers trace the line down to faint Mercury hugging the horizon and up toward Saturn and then Jupiter farther along the arc.

Astronomers say six-planet displays like this occur only every few years, and the next similar alignment is not expected until around 2028. While some locations around the world had slightly different best-viewing dates, Feb. 28 was highlighted as a prime night for much of the United States, including California.

For many residents, the event offered an accessible introduction to backyard astronomy and a reminder of how dynamic the evening sky can be from one season to the next, as per Space.