A rare celestial event occurred on the night of Feb. 28, where seven planets aligned in the sky. This stunning astronomical alignment included Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Much of the alignment was visible to the naked eye in many parts of the world, offering sky-watchers a unique opportunity to see these planets line up in a narrow band across the sky.
Astronomers say that such a planetary alignment occurs only once every few decades. The alignment of seven planets will not reoccur until 2040, making this a once-in-a-lifetime event for many stargazers.
The seven-planet alignment had all seven planets in the same area, making it easier for observers to spot them. Mercury, the closest to the Sun, was the first to appear. The outer planets, Uranus and Neptune, required a telescope to see, but the brightest planets, Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn, were visible even without one.
The alignment sparked interest among both amateur and professional astronomers. Many took the opportunity to study the positions of the planets, while others simply marveled at the sight.
The planets in this alignment appeared along the ecliptic, the Sun’s apparent path through the sky. The ecliptic is significant in astronomy because it marks the plane in which most of the solar system’s planets orbit. It is why the planets tend to align along this line, as they all orbit the Sun in nearly the same plane.
On any other day, using a simple pair of binoculars can help bring distant planets like Uranus and Neptune into view. A telescope can even offer a look at the planets’ features.