Rare seven-planet alignment on February 28

Planetary alignments are relatively common, with small alignments of three or four planets occurring regularly. However, witnessing seven planets in the sky simultaneously is extraordinarily rare, making this upcoming event an exceptional treat for skywatchers. Such large alignments typically occur only a few times each century; meaning opportunities to observe them are limited.

Despite popular images and diagrams suggesting perfect straight lines, the planets will not appear neatly aligned in reality. Instead, they will visibly line up along an imaginary path across the sky called the ecliptic, which is the flat plane on which all planets in our Solar System orbit the Sun. While slight deviations occur due to each planet’s orbital inclination, the alignment will still be clearly noticeable.

The reason planets align in this manner relates directly to how planetary systems, including our own, are formed. When stars form from clouds of gas and dust, they spin, causing the surrounding material to flatten into a disk shape around the star’s equator. This disk, known as the protoplanetary disk, is the birthplace of planets. As the planets form, they naturally orbit the star within this flat plane. Unless disrupted by other significant gravitational interactions, planets typically remain aligned to this orbital plane.

On February 28, skywatchers across the globe will be presented with an opportunity to witness firsthand the beauty of celestial mechanics in action. Observing this alignment requires no special equipment, though telescopes and binoculars can enhance the view, making distant planets like Uranus and Neptune easier to identify.

Earlier, it was reported that recent calculations and observations by NASA have confirmed that asteroid 2024 YR4 no longer poses a significant threat to Earth, eliminating concerns of a potential collision in December 2032.