Overview
- The prime viewing window is roughly 30 to 60 minutes after local sunset, looking toward the west or southwest with an unobstructed horizon.
- Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune will appear along the same band of sky, with Venus and Jupiter easiest to spot, Mercury and Saturn possibly visible to the unaided eye, and Uranus and Neptune requiring binoculars or a telescope.
- The grouping is observable over several evenings from mid-to-late February into early March, with the most concentrated view expected on February 28 as the lower planets set quickly.
- Safety guidance stresses waiting until the Sun has fully set and never pointing binoculars or telescopes near the Sun to avoid eye injury.
- Agencies and specialists, including NASA, Spain’s IGN and Peru’s CONIDA, advise choosing dark, clear locations and using tools such as Stellarium, SkySafari or Star Walk, as binoculars can aid in locating the faintest planets.