Six-planet parade, February 2026. Learn how to see it

Cast your thoughts again to February 2025 and you will seemingly keep in mind the seven-planet parade that was seen within the night sky.

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune had been all there for a quick second after sundown, making for the prospect to see seven planets of the Solar System within the evening sky without delay.

Excitement is now rising round the same planet parade set to be seen on 28 February 2026. However, this time it is a six-planet parade as a result of Mars just isn’t seen this month.

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But how seen will the planets be, and what can we actually count on?

Here, we’ll check out every of the planets in flip, revealing once they’re seen and what the six-planet parade will actually appear to be.

Firstly, although, a phrase on security. Observing this planet parade will imply observing some planets low within the west simply after sundown.

Make positive you do solely observe these planets as soon as the Sun is about, as trying on the Sun immediately might significantly harm your eyesight.

Mercury

It feels prefer it’s been a very long time since we had good views of Mercury within the evening sky.

That’s as a result of the closest planet to the Sun is an ‘inferior’ planet, which suggests it sits between Earth and the Sun, and is subsequently nearer to the Sun within the night sky than the outer planets.

In February 2026, Mercury is technically a night planet, nevertheless it units within the west so near sundown that it is probably not seen at first of the month.

By 19 February, Mercury reaches its furthest place from the Sun, generally known as ‘best japanese elongation’.

That signifies that, by 28 February, Mercury is setting for much longer after sundown than it did at first of the month, however it would have dimmed significantly, making it difficult to see.

Venus

Venus, like Mercury, can be an ‘inferior’ planet. And like Mercury, its look in our night sky will enhance all through February, setting within the west a lot later after sundown every evening.

Venus has two benefits over Mercury in February 2026. It will not be as dim as Mercury and it is going to be at a better altitude, setting later after the Sun.

That will make Venus simpler to see than Mercury through the 28 February 2026 planet parade.

But by 28 February, Venus and Mercury are shut collectively within the sky, making Venus a very good jumping-off level for finding its dimmer neighbour.

Jupiter

We skip Mars and transfer straight to Jupiter, because the Red Planet is not included within the February 2026 planet parade.

Although Jupiter is previous its peak – which it reached in January 2026 – and is technically higher seen at first of February, it is nonetheless the perfect planet to see within the evening sky and the simplest to see within the planet parade.

By sundown on 28 February it is excessive within the japanese sky, larger than the Moon and near brilliant stars Castor and Pollux in Gemini.

If you solely see one planet on 28 February 2026, it is most likely going to be Jupiter.

Saturn

Like Jupiter, Saturn has been fairly good to observers not too long ago, however that is altering as we method the top of February 2026.

The greatest time to see the ringed planet is at first of February, as a result of by the top of February it is setting within the west near sundown.

In reality, it is solely simply above Venus and Mercury within the night twilight, so you will want a comparatively clear horizon to see it.

But that does imply that the western horizon will play host to a pleasant cluster of naked-eye planets – Saturn, Venus and Mercury – making up one half of the six-planet parade.

Uranus

An ice big of the outer Solar System, Uranus is excessive within the sky in February 2026, very similar to Jupiter is.

Although difficult to see with the bare eye even at the perfect of occasions, it does have excessive altitude in its favour, making it one other probably straightforward member of the six-planet parade to identify.

In February 2026, Uranus is situated beneath the Pleiades star cluster in Taurus.

It’s greatest seen at first of the month, however after Jupiter, might be the second best planet to see within the sky in February 2026, although you will seemingly want binoculars or a telescope to identify it.

Neptune

The most distant planet within the Solar System has been close to Saturn within the evening sky for a while now, and now that Saturn and Neptune are setting near sundown, that makes Neptune maybe the trickiest of the six parade planets to see on the finish of February 2026.

There’s a pleasant assembly between Neptune, Saturn and the crescent Moon on 19 February.

By 28 February, Neptune might be low on the western horizon by sundown, near Saturn. And since you’ll want a telescope to see it, meaning excessive warning have to be taken.

Catching a glimpse of the setting Sun by means of an unfiltered telescope might significantly harm your eyesight, so that is one thing that ought to solely be tried by a seasoned astronomer who is aware of what they’re doing.

The Sun will must be totally set under the horizon earlier than such a feat needs to be tried.

The February 2026 planet parade at a look

So what does all this imply when it comes to the six-planet parade of 28 February 2026?

As we have seen, all of the planets are seen from mid-February onwards, so that you need not wait till the top of the month to attempt to see them in a single go.

The planet parade may very well be seen two weeks earlier than that date of 28 February. It’s simply that Venus and Mercury might be greatest seen in direction of the top of the month.

To add a little bit of realism into the hype that is constructing round this planet parade, in actuality this isn’t a simple alignment of planets to see.

Four of the planets set within the west simply after the Sun, and a kind of – Neptune – is barely seen by means of a telescope.

There’s an inclination for the hype round planet parades to recommend that six or seven planets are going to by positioned in a neat line throughout the sky, every one excessive above the horizon and visual with the bare eye.

That’s by no means going to be the case.

But if you wish to attempt to see the February 2026 planet parade for your self, there are some things you are able to do.

One vital factor is to discover a clear western horizon. Most of the planets might be clustered across the western horizon at sundown, which suggests you will want all the assistance you may get to identify them.

You will not have a lot time to see Mercury and Venus earlier than they too set under the horizon.

And, as beforehand talked about, meaning excessive care have to be taken, so you do not unintentionally catch a glimpse of the setting Sun along with your bare eye or – a lot worse – by means of binoculars or a telescope.

That being stated, a flat, clear western horizon might provide you with each likelihood of seeing Mercury, Venus and Saturn within the night twilight simply after sundown.

Neptune would require a telescope, and this does include the added hazard of observing the western horizon within the night twilight.

At the identical time, Uranus might be a lot larger within the western sky, whereas Jupiter might be excessive within the southeast, finishing the six-planet parade.

Why planet parades occur

Every as soon as and some time, planet parades and planet alignments appear to crop up, as information of a number of planets showing within the sky, in a line without delay, makes headlines.

Why do planet parades occur? They’re not as uncommon as you would possibly suppose

When we glance into the evening sky and observe planets among the many stars, we’re actually searching throughout the airplane of our Solar System.

After our Sun shaped, the leftover star-forming components like gasoline and dirt shaped a rotating disc surrounding it.

Out of this flat disc, the planets and their moons finally shaped, which is why the planets of the Solar System all primarily orbit the Sun on the identical airplane.

We can see this within the evening sky within the form of an imaginary line referred to as the ecliptic, which is the trail the Sun seems to journey throughout Earth’s sky over the course of a yr.

Whenever a Solar System planet is seen from Earth, it is going to be situated close to the ecliptic.

That’s why, when a number of planets are seen within the sky without delay, they’ll all be discovered alongside the identical path. It’s simply that this path is not straight: it is curved.

But that is additionally why a number of planets seen within the sky without delay will all share the identical patch of sky, comparatively talking, as a result of after we have a look at the ecliptic within the sky, we’re actually searching throughout the airplane of the Solar System.

If you observe or {photograph} the planet parade, get in contact by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com