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Skywatchers across Canada and parts of the United States are in for a rare treat over the next month as seven planets will line up in the night sky on Feb. 28.

However, the show will get underway early with six planets – missing Mercury – visible early in the evening of Jan. 21.

Making the celestial event even more special and rare is that the planets will appear in the early night sky, making it easier for all to observe the alignment.

“What a time to be an astronomy enthusiast! With the total solar eclipse in 2024 and now the planetary alignment in 2025, we are getting lucky with so many back-to-back rare astronomical sightings,” says Queen’s Observatory co-ordinators Akanksha Bij and Lawrence Faria. “Be sure to keep your eyes out for more Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) events as well in 2025, as we are currently in a solar maximum.”

Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn will be visible unaided on Jan. 21 while Uranus and Neptune will be visible with a telescope or high-powered binoculars.

The visibility of the alignment will continue through January and into February and the Queen’s Observatory, located in Ellis Hall, will be hosting an open house on Feb. 8, starting at 7 p.m., with a featured presentation by an astronomer and an observatory tour. During the tour, attendees will be able to view the planets through the observatory’s main telescope as well as through smaller telescopes and binoculars the rooftop deck. 

How to observe

An ideal time to observe the alignment is just after sunset around 7-8 p.m. To see the seven-planetary alignment on Feb. 28, an ideal time will be around 6-6:45 p.m. as Saturn will set early. Try and get away from the city lights and other sources of light pollution, if possible for better viewing. The order you should see the planets, from east to west, will be Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus, (Mercury, when it joins) and Saturn. Mars, Saturn and Venus will be closer to the horizon so make sure there are no buildings, trees or other obstructions in your view. It will likely be easiest to spot Jupiter first which will be bright, southward and higher in the sky. A helpful option, the co-ordinators say, is to download an app called Stellarium or Star Chart on your phone. When you point your phone to the sky it will tell you what night sky object you are observing. Telescopes and binoculars can help you see more details such as Saturn’s rings and Jupiter’s moons.

Interesting facts

The reason we are able to see this event is because all the planets of our solar system orbit the Sun on a relatively flat plane. From our perspective here on Earth, when that plane is projected on the sky, it looks like an arc, which is called the Ecliptic. When the planets are mostly on the same side of the Sun they appear together in the night sky and trace out this Ecliptic path, which is a beautiful and rare treat to observe. However, this does not mean that planets are aligned in their orbits as they go around the Sun, which can sometimes be a misconception.  

To arrange an interview with our experts, please contact the Queen’s media team via email at andrew.caroll@queensu.ca; brown.julie@queensu.ca; or mediarelations@queensu.ca