How to glimpse a rare phenomenon in space where FIVE planets are perfectly aligned and visible to the naked eye
- Five planets — Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus, Mars — will align on March 28
- The planetary parade will be visible with the nude – here are our top tips
A rare cosmic event will light up the night sky later this month, with five planets perfectly aligned at the same time.
Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus and Mars will line up on March 28 in a rare planetary parade.
The planets appear together just after sunset on Tuesday, but are also visible in the sky the days before and after.
Experts said Jupiter and Mercury will appear as “two bright objects” close to the horizon.
On March 28, a major planetary alignment of Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars and Venus will be visible to stargazers on Earth

The planets will appear at the same time on Tuesday just after sunset, but are believed to be visible the days before and after as well (Photo: A map identifying the most visible objects in the night sky on March 28)
However, the duo will only be visible for less than an hour after sunset before disappearing from view.
Venus will be most easily seen with the unaided eye as it is the third brightest object in the sky and will be seen higher in the sky next to Uranus.
Mars will appear bright red and be positioned quite high, visible closer to the moon.
The planetary alignment will occur within a 50 degree sector of the sky.
American astronomer Gary Swangin said that Venus, Mars and Jupiter can be observed with the naked eye.
However, binoculars may be needed to see Mercury and Uranus, he told the New Jersey Herald.
This won’t be the last chance for space enthusiasts eager to catch a glimpse, with a new planetary alignment on April 11 and later in the year on August 24.
Mercury, Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune, and Saturn will also form another five-planet alignment on June 17.
Former Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin shared his excitement about the upcoming space event in a post on Twitter, writing:
“Don’t forget to look to the sky at the end of the month for the planetary alignment which will have at least five planets – plus the moon – all visible in almost an arc shape as seen from Earth.”

Space enthusiasts can glimpse the rare planetary alignment with the naked eye, but Gary Swangin said binoculars may be needed to see Mercury and Uranus (photo, stock image)