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Six-Planet Parade Graces Tonight’s Dusk Sky, With Jupiter Easiest to Spot

The best views come 30–60 minutes after sunset toward a clear western horizon, with binoculars or a telescope required for Uranus and Neptune.

Overview

  • Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune line up along the ecliptic after sunset on February 28, with visibility reported across much of the world.
  • NASA and planetarium experts say Jupiter will be the simplest naked‑eye target, while Mercury, Venus and Saturn sit very low and set quickly, narrowing the viewing window.
  • Uranus and Neptune are too faint to see unaided; binoculars may help with Uranus, whereas Neptune typically demands a telescope.
  • India’s Institute of Astrophysics warns that viral depictions of a dramatic, perfectly straight alignment are misleading, emphasizing this is a perspective effect rather than a physical lineup in space.
  • Public viewing sessions are planned at some observatories, and skywatchers are also eyeing an early‑March total lunar eclipse before sunrise as the next notable event.