Six of our solar system’s planets are due to line up in our night sky in a strange phenomenon often called a “planetary parade” over the coming days, but one will temporarily disappear from view.
Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune will all be visible at the same time, splayed out across the night sky in a huge arc.
Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are four of the five “naked eye” planets, with only Mercury missing, while Neptune and Uranus will require a telescope to spot due to their huge distance from our world.
However, as these planets make their way across the sky in this “parade”, Mars is expected to suddenly disappear, due to it passing directly behind the full moon.
ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS
This is known as the “occultation” of Mars, and is due to occur on January 13.
Mars’s occultation happens when, from Earth’s perspective, another object (like the Moon, or another planet) perfectly aligns with Mars and obscures the red planet due to its larger apparent size in the sky.
“If you can see only one celestial event this January, see this one,” the Astronomical League said in their night sky viewing guide.
Mars will only stay hidden for around an hour, emerging from the other side of the moon and shining bright red in the dark sky.
The Astronomical League lists the times across the country when the occultation will begin and end—and advises using binoculars to catch the event in its full glory.
Alongside its occultation and its inclusion in the “planetary parade”, Mars is also reaching “opposition”, this month. This is when Mars, Earth and the sun align such that Earth lies directly between Mars and the sun.
During opposition, Mars is closest to Earth in its orbit, making it appear brighter and larger in the night sky.
“This is around the time when the planet is at its closest to Earth, making it appear at its biggest and brightest. For Mars, oppositions happen about every two years,” NASA’s Preston Dyches explained in a What’s Up: January 2025 stargazing guide video.
As for catching the best glimpse of the “planetary parade”—which will be visible for most of January—the night of January 21 may be best. This is because the moon is only half illuminated and rises after midnight, meaning that there will be less light pollution to drown out the planets.
“You’ll find Venus and Saturn in the southwest for the first couple of hours, while Jupiter shines brightly high overhead, and Mars rises in the east. Uranus and Neptune are there too, technically, but they don’t appear as “bright planets,” Dyches said.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Additionally, only days beforehand on January 17 and 18, Venus and Saturn will come very close to each other in the sky.
“Remember, they’re really hundreds of millions of miles apart in space, so when you observe them, you’re staring clear across the solar system!” Dyches said.
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about planets? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.