'Planet parade' surprise for sky gazers this month; 'once in 396 billion years' claim a myth

A 'planet parade' is a rare event that occurs when multiple planets appear to be positioned in a line.
Representative Image.
Representative Image.(Photo | NASA Science)
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The planets in our solar system have lined up a surprise for astrophiles and skygazers.

You will likely have heard the news that a 'planetary alignment' will be visible in January 2025 and into February, but are wondering what planets will actually be visible, and how special this 'alignment' is.

"In the first couple of hours after dark, you'll find Venus and Saturn in the southwest, Jupiter high overhead, and Mars in the east. (Uranus and Neptune are there too, but a telescope is needed to see them.)," NASA explained in its January bulletin.

A 'planet parade' is a rare event that occurs when multiple planets appear to be positioned in a line. While the planets appear as such from Earth's perspective, it does not signify an actual alignment in space.

NASA stated that such incidents, involving four or more planets, do not occur annually.

"Planets always appear along a line in the sky, so the "alignment" isn't special. What's less common is seeing four or five bright planets at once, which doesn't happen every year. Is it a "planet parade"? This isn't a technical term in astronomy, so call it what you wish!" the space agency clarified.

According to NASA, stargazers can see Mars on January 15, while Venus and Saturn will come within about 2 degrees on January 17 and 18. One can start seeing the alignment of planets from January 17.

Best time to watch the 'planet parade'

Around 8:30 pm, just after a lovely sunset will be the best time to catch the 'planet parade'.

The 'planet parade' can be viewed from your rooftop as long as the sky is clear of clouds and pollution.

Why it's not a 'once in 396 billion years' event

The universe has existed for 13.7 billion years.

The fantabulous "once in 396 billion years happening coming to be on January 25" claim that has gone viral on social media stems from a complete misunderstanding of a a theoretical point made by Jean Meeus in his 1997 book, Mathematical Astronomy Morsels. 

According to Sky & Telescope, in attempting to answer whether all eight planets could be visible in Earth's sky, Meeus came up with the only once in 396 billion years figure but, crucially, he was referring to the planets being within 1.8 degrees of each other.

This month's 'planet parade' sees many of the planets in the sky, but they're not close to each other — and certainly not within 1.8 degrees!

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