With a rare black moon and the peak of the year’s first major meteor shower already behind us, January is shaping up to be an exciting month for stargazers in 2025. Per NASA, stargazers can enjoy a sweeping view of Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars in a planetary parade happening each night all month long. While spotting multiple planets in alignment isn’t entirely rare, this occurrence doesn’t happen every year so it’s worth checking out, the space agency said.
“Now, these events are sometimes called ‘alignments’ of the planets, and while it’s true that they will appear more or less along a line across the sky, that’s what all planets always do,” NASA said. “That line is called the ecliptic, and it represents the plane of the solar system in which the planets orbit around the Sun.”
To see the planets line up, head outside on a clear night after sunset. In the first couple of hours after dark, Venus and Saturn will become visible in the southwest, with Jupiter high overhead and Mars rising to the east. As the month progresses, Venus and Saturn will appear to get closer each evening as they head to a “super close approach” in mid-January. They will be at their most cozy on Jan. 17 and 18, before going their separate ways….
; With a rare black moon and the peak of the year’s first major meteor shower already behind us, January is shaping up to be an exciting month for stargazers in 2025. Per NASA, stargazers can enjoy a sweeping view of Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars in a planetary parade happening each night all month long. While spotting multiple planets in alignment isn’t entirely rare, this occurrence doesn’t happen every year so it’s worth checking out, the space agency said.
“Now, these events are sometimes called ‘alignments’ of the planets, and while it’s true that they will appear more or less along a line across the sky, that’s what all planets always do,” NASA said. “That line is called the ecliptic, and it represents the plane of the solar system in which the planets orbit around the Sun.”
To see the planets line up, head outside on a clear night after sunset. In the first couple of hours after dark, Venus and Saturn will become visible in the southwest, with Jupiter high overhead and Mars rising to the east. As the month progresses, Venus and Saturn will appear to get closer each evening as they head to a “super close approach” in mid-January. They will be at their most cozy on Jan. 17 and 18, before going their separate ways….
