Parade of Planets 2025: See Six Planets Together!
In January and February 2025, six planets will form a giant arc in the evening sky: Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, and Saturn. At the end of February, Mercury will join the fun, replacing Saturn. Here’s your guide to the Planet Parade 2025, including suggested dates, directions, and frequently asked questions, courtesy of expert astronomer Dean Regas.
Planet Parade 2025 Dates
Planet Parade 2025 kicks off after sunset on January 10. Look south, then scan the sky from left to right (east to west) to spot each planet. (Use our illustration above as your guide.) If you don’t already have a telescope, now is a great time to consider buying one!
Here are must-see moments and dates:
January 10: Moon Kisses Jupiter
The Moon will be near the bright planet Jupiter.
January 13: Moon Eclipses Mars
The nearly full Moon will block the red planet Mars in an extremely rare astronomical event called an occultation.
January 17 and 18: Venus Kisses Saturn
One hour after sunset, face west to find brilliant Venus to the right of Saturn (much dimmer). If you have a telescope, you can hop from seeing Venus’ phase to Saturn’s rings in just a few seconds.
January 31: Slimmest Crescent Moon Cradles Saturn
45 minutes after sunset, look low in the western sky for the slimmest crescent Moon you’ve ever seen. Just above it will be a faint yellow “star,” the planet Saturn.
February 1: Moon Kisses Venus … And Neptune!
One hour after sunset face west and the waxing crescent Moon will appear just to the left of the vibrant planet Venus.
But there’s one more planet hidden there. Get your telescope and scan below the left side of the Moon. That’s where Neptune will be hiding in the outer reaches of the solar system.
(Also mark your calendars for March 1, when the crescent Moon will return to the evening sky and cozy up next to Venus once more. Don’t miss it, because this will be the last Moon-Venus pairing in the evening sky for the entire year.)
February 5: Moon Kisses Uranus
High in the southern sky on this night, look for the Moon hanging near a cluster of stars: the Pleiades, aka the Seven Sisters.
Unseen to the naked eye, Uranus will also be nearby, about four degrees below the Moon.
February 6: Moon Kisses Jupiter
The Moon keeps moving towards the left (east). Look for the Moon tonight above the giant planet Jupiter.
If you see a reddish star below Jupiter … “bullseye,” literally! You’ve found Aldebaran, which marks the eye of the bull, Taurus.
February 9: Moon, Mars, and the Twins
The Moon will appear near a triangle of stars high in the southeast that night. The brightest star isn’t a star at all and will look a little red. That’s Mars. The other stars are from the constellation Gemini, the Twins, Pollux and Castor.
The End of the Planet Parade 2025
As the planets continue wandering around the solar system, they will drop out of the evening sky one by one. Saturn is the first to ride off into the sunset around mid-February. Neptune disappears next in early March followed by Mercury and Venus in mid-March.
Uranus will leave the evening sky in April while Jupiter hangs around every evening until the end of May. And that leaves Mars who is vainly trying to keep up with the orbiting Earth and will be a nightly presence until early August 2025.
What About Mercury?
Mercury is a tough planet to spot. It’s the smallest planet (only 3,032 miles wide) and the closest to the Sun. You can only spot it during periods in its orbit called elongations, when Mercury appears to escape the Sun’s glare.
The next Mercury viewing season begins at the end of February. After sunset in the western sky, the tiny planet will try to stand out just above the slimmest waxing crescent Moon on February 28.
Mercury will have a difficult time shining through the twilight so if you miss it that night, it will get higher in the sky at sunset over the following week.
Between March 1-11 you can keep up your Mercury watch. Face west about 30 minutes after sunset but don’t get distracted by the much-brighter planet Venus blazing away in that section of the sky.
On the evening of March 12, Mercury and Venus will appear side-by-side above the western horizon. Then Mercury dives toward the Sun (and will be difficult to find by mid-March).
RELATED: Mercury Retrograde
Parade of Planets FAQ
What Makes Planet Parade 2025 Special?
There are four main reasons why Planet Parade 2025 will be better than last year’s:
- More visible planets will appear together in the sky in 2025 than last year.
- Evening viewing times are more convenient than last year’s pre-dawn ones.
- Planet Parade 2025 occurs during winter months when stars and planets seem to be brighter through a clearer atmosphere. (Planet Parade 2024 happened during the summer when the sky is generally hazier.)
- Many conjunctions occur during the parade. While it is somewhat normal for the Moon to “kiss” many planets over the course of a planet parade, this parade includes a rare Mars occultation (when the Moon eclipses a planet). Additionally, many planets also “kiss,” for example: Venus and Saturn on January 17-18; and Venus and Neptune on February 1, 2025.
Why Do Planets Line Up?
Our solar system is a flat disc, and the planets can be found lined up in front of the same stars in predictable patterns. The planets, Sun, and Moon wander in front of the same twelve zodiac constellations like Leo and Gemini during their regular cycles. On occassion, their orbital speeds and positions align.
How Often Do Planet Parades Happen?
Planet parades usually happen each year, but some years are more dazzling than others.
Ask questions in the comments! You’ll get answers from our expert astronomers.
Previous Planet Parades
In June 2024, Jupiter, Mars, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn lined up in the predawn sky. But the most impressive planet parade of the decade occurred in June 2022. All the planets were in the sky at the same time: Mercury, Venus, Uranus, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, and Saturn were in an arc while dwarf planet Pluto stood at the end.
A Final Thought
Please bear in mind that star charts and social media often make planet parades seem to be more impressive than they are. Although six planets may be in the sky at the same time in the months of January, February, and the first half of March, remember that two of them, Uranus and Neptune, are invisible to the unaided eye.
That said, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, are always a wonderful treat to identify after dark.
Join the Discussion
Are you excited for Parade of Planets 2025?
Will you be watching with your telescope? (Helpful hint: In cold months, put your telescope outside at least 30 minutes before you attempt to observe the sky. This allows the lens to adjust to the change in temperature and reduces fogginess.)
Share your thoughts and photos in the comments section!
Dean Regas
Dean Regas is an expert astronomer and a renowned author who has written six books, including 100 Things to See in the Night Sky and How to Teach Grown-Ups About Pluto. An astronomer with more than two decades of experience, Dean is a dynamic writer and public speaker who brings the complicated field of astronomy down to Earth for students of all ages. From 2010-2019, he was the co-host of the PBS program Star Gazers. He is a frequent guest on National Public Radio’s Science Friday with Ira Flatow and NPR's Here & Now. He also hosts a popular astronomy podcast called Looking Up with Dean Regas. Learn more about him at www.astrodean.com
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