Look up, SA! A rare planetary parade is coming tonight

Updated Feb. 28, 2025, 6:31 a.m. | By East Coast Breakfast / Skyye Ndlovu

Tonight you’ll have a rare opportunity to see all seven planets aligned in the sky.

South Africa, you're in for a celestial treat tonight.

On Friday, February 28, the Great Planet Parade will light up the sky as all seven planets in our solar system align for a brief but breathtaking moment.

This is a once-in-a-decade event, so if you’ve ever wanted to see all seven planets together in one night, this is your chance.

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How and when can I see this?

If you’re a space nerd and want to witness this amazing phenomenon, the best time to catch it is just after sunset tonight (February 28, 2025).

To make the most of this event, head to a location with minimal light pollution and an unobstructed view of the horizon – definitely nowhere near a city centre.

According to NASA, five planets – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn – will be visible to the naked eye, no telescope needed.

Neptune and Uranus, however, will be trickier to spot. You'll need a telescope to see Neptune, while Uranus may be visible with keen eyesight, but only under very dark skies.

So, if you wear prescription glasses… sorry.

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You might be wondering why this is such a special event. Well, this kind of planetary alignment doesn’t happen often. The last major alignment was during the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, but not all planets were visible at that time.

After tonight, the next time five planets will align after sunset is in February 2034 – so you don’t want to miss this one.

Mark your calendars, grab your binoculars (or telescope), and get ready to witness a spectacular planetary lineup.