Line ‘em up – 7 planets are aligned tonight in rare celestial event

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Tonight, you can be treated to a stargazing sensation as the rare occurrence of seven planets aligning takes place above our heads shortly after sundown tonight.

This ‘planetary parade’ features Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn in as close to a straight line as the cosmos will allow.

Woodlanders are ahead of the curve when it comes to amateur astronomy tonight; you’ll want to be away from as many city lights as possible with a clear view of the western horizon as the sun dips down at 6:21 p.m tonight. Try to find one of the higher areas where trees don’t blot your view. To figure out where west is without relying on your phone compass app, just pretend you’re facing Bryan / College Station. Your best view with maximum brightness will occur around 6:50 to 7:00 tonight.

From low to high, the line will consist of Saturn, Mercury, Neptune, Venus, Uranus, Jupiter, and Mars. You should be able to spot Saturn, Mercury, and Venus with the naked eye, along with the distinctly red Mars. You’ll most likely need high-powered binoculars or a telescope to see Uranus and Neptune. Saturn, too, might be difficult to see, mainly due to its proximity in the horizon to the just-set sun.

While planetary alignments are more commonplace than you would expect – four- and five-planet alignments will occur this August and in 2028 and 2034 – this seven-planet alignment is a treat to share with the family for years or generations to come. And if you’re hoping for an all-eight-planet display, we have bad news. It takes about 13 and a half trillion years for all the planets in our solar system to align within one degree of each other.

Be sure to add your photos of tonight’s display in our comments.