The Planets Gather for a Show in the Evening Sky

01All seven major planets form a kind of parade in the sky at the end of February.

02Although two of the planets are not visible to the unaided eye, all are on the same side of the sun during the evening hours.

03This planetary grouping happens when the planets appear to line up in the night sky as seen from Earth.

04They do not form a straight line, but they do stretch across the evening sky this year.

05The American space agency NASA says these astronomical gatherings are common.

06A parade of four or five planets visible to the unaided eye happens every few years.

07A similar parade took place last June, but only two planets could be seen without the use of special equipment.

08Six planets were visible in January.

09Four were visible to the unaided eye.

10In recent weeks, Mercury joined the group.

11Venus, Mars, and Jupiter are all easily visible in the evening.

12Saturn is now very close to the setting sun, and Mercury is close to the horizon, making both hard to see.

13Uranus and Neptune are the most distant planets.

14Uranus can be glimpsed with binoculars or a telescope under good conditions.

15But Neptune is now too close to the sun to be seen.

16Seeing the brightest planets is easy.

17Go outside on a clear night after sunset.

18The planets will shine brighter than the stars.

19Mars is a bright reddish-orange light appearing high in the constellation Gemini.

20Jupiter is very bright and a little lower than Mars toward the constellation Taurus.

21Venus, in the constellation of Pisces, is the brightest natural object in the sky besides the sun and moon.

22There are many stargazing apps available that can help identify the planets and bright stars.

23The planets will slowly move lower and lower in the west throughout the spring.

24I'm Mario Ritter Jr.