February's 'rare planetary alignment' is coming — here's what to expect from the planet parade

A glowing ball of light hovers over the horizon, creating a brilliant orange night sky studded with stars with silhouettes of trees below.

Is "planet parade" the latest buzzword in skywatching? Supermoons, shooting stars "lighting up the night sky," and "ring of fire" eclipses have been popular in recent years. Now, step forward the prospect of a planetary alignment, apparently more than enough to get mainstream audiences looking up.

It was difficult to get away from the so-called "planet parades" in early 2025, when Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus and Saturn were in the night sky simultaneously — though only four of them were visible.