Skywatchers are in for a treat this month as a rare celestial event will take place on February 28. On this night, seven planets - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune - will align in the sky. While planetary alignments happen from time to time, witnessing seven planets at once is a rare sight for both astronomers and space lovers.
A planetary alignment happens when several planets appear in a line from Earth's point of view. All the planets in our Solar System orbit the Sun on the same flat plane but they move at different speeds. Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, takes just 88 days to complete one orbit, while Neptune, the farthest, takes a staggering 60,190 days or about 165 Earth years. Because of these different speeds, planets sometimes gather on the same side of the Sun which makes them visible together in the night sky.
Right now, six planets - Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune - can already be seen at night. But on February 28, Mercury will join them which will create a rare seven-planet display. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will be bright enough to see with the naked eye while Uranus and Neptune will need binoculars or a telescope. Since the planets won't be in a perfect straight line, they will appear in an arc across the sky following the Sun's path. To witness this event, clear weather will be essential.