For the last month and change, you might've seen the headlines about the planetary alignment, or a planetary parade, going on in our solar system. And that's true. In January 2025, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune were all visible in the night sky. And in February, 2025, Mercury will join the fun, with all seven of our planetary neighbors visible from Earth.
So what does such a planetary alignment mean for science? Well, truthfully, not much. A planetary alignment occurs "when the planets 'line up' on the same side of the sun, generally speaking," Gerard van Belle, Lowell Observatory's director of science, tells Space.com. "When this happens, we can see multiple planets in the night sky." And that's about it! In other words, this planetary parade is simply an excellent reason to go stargazing — or planet-gazing, if you will.
