5 planets’ ‘parade’ to take place on March 28: Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, Venus to align

On March 28, it will be possible to observe a rare astronomical event called the great alignment of the planets from Earth. To the public, it is better known as the parade of planets; just after sunset, Jupiter, Mercury, Uranus, Mars, and Venus will line up on the same line in a small area.

On March 28, Mercury and Jupiter will shine very brightly in the night sky; they will be visible near the horizon. Venus will be above them and Mars will be near the first quarter of the Moon. Most likely, all four planets can be seen with the naked eye—if the weather is clear. However, you will need binoculars or a telescope to view Uranus.

All these five planets can be viewed from our planet in the sky at an angle of 50 degrees. When viewed from Earth's surface, these planets will appear close together.

Two or three planets often line up on one line, and this phenomenon is called a mini or minor planetary alignment. However, five or more planets align on a line quite rarely; in recent years, such a phenomenon was observed in 2022 (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn; their parade was visible from the northern hemisphere), 2020, and 2016.

Parades of the Planets 2023

As Starwalk reports, several more planetary alignments will be visible from Earth this year.

• on April 11, a small alignment of Mercury, Uranus, Venus, and Mars in the evening, in the 35 degree angle of the sky,
• on April 24, a small alignment of Mercury, Uranus, Venus, and Mars in the evening, in the 40 degree angle of the sky,
• on May 29, a minor alignment of Uranus, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn in the morning, in the 70 degree angle of the sky,
• On June 17, the morning grand alignment of Mercury, Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune, and Saturn, in the 95-degree sector of the sky,
• on July 26, the evening mini-alignment of Mercury, Venus, and Mars, in the 15 degree angle of the sky,
• on August 24 at sunset, a mini-alignment of Mercury and Mars and rising Saturn at 175 degrees of the sky, later at night a minor alignment of Uranus, Jupiter, Neptune, and Saturn at 80 degrees of the sky.

The most anticipated alignments of the planets in the next 400 years

Here are some anticipated planetary alignments being talked about in the media and academia. During these parades, many planets in the system will be visible in close proximity to each other. However, most of these parades will take place later rather than sooner.

• On September 8, 2040, five planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) will be visible to the naked eye within a 9-degree circle of the sky. Also visible will be the crescent Moon, which will then be between Venus and Saturn.
• On March 15, 2080, five planets (Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and Uranus) will be visible in an 82-degree section of the morning sky. This alignment is particularly noteworthy because it will show a "grand conjunction" between Saturn and Jupiter with a period of only six arcminutes.
• On May 19, 2161, all the planets in the Solar System, including Earth, will come together on one side of the Sun, within 69 degrees of each other. However, it will appear that these planets are scattered across the sky within an angle of 171 degrees. This parade can be seen shortly before dawn.
• On November 7, 2176, all the planets in the Solar System, including Earth, will come together on one side of the Sun, within 78 degrees of each other. Viewing this parade from Earth will give the impression that these planets are scattered across the sky 162 degrees apart.
• On May 6, 2492, all the planets of the Solar System, including Earth, will gather on one side of the Sun, at an angle of 90 degrees from each other. When viewed from Earth, these planets will be 162 degrees apart.