Throughout February, the night sky will showcase a stunning alignment of the five brightest planets—Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, and Saturn—alongside the more elusive Uranus and Neptune. As the month progresses, observers with an unobstructed horizon may witness all five bright planets stretching across the sky at once. A particularly noteworthy event occurs on Monday, February 24, when Mercury and Saturn will appear especially close together, marking the highlight of this celestial display.
Venus: The Brilliant Evening Star
Among the five planets, Venus shines the brightest. Having reached its greatest distance east of the sun on January 10, it continues to illuminate the west-southwest sky at dusk throughout February, serving as a dazzling beacon. Venus will remain exceptionally bright for most of the month, and through binoculars or a small telescope, it will appear as a crescent. As the planet moves closer to Earth, its disk will enlarge while its crescent shape gradually thins due to its changing alignment with the Earth and sun.
Saturn: A Fading Presence
Next in line is Saturn, the famous “lord of the rings.” To locate it, extend an imaginary line straight downward from Venus; the first bright, star-like object you encounter will be Saturn. Initially, it may appear surprisingly dim, despite shining as brightly as a first-magnitude star. This is because Venus, which is about six magnitudes brighter, significantly outshines it.
Saturn usually appears more luminous, but its rings are nearly edge-on from Earth’s perspective, reflecting minimal light. A small telescope with at least 30x magnification is needed to see them, appearing as a thin, bright line bisecting the planet’s disk.
In early February, the gap between Venus and Saturn will gradually widen. However, as the month progresses, Saturn will become harder to see against the brightening twilight, eventually fading into the sun’s glare by the month’s end.
Though planetary alignments are not uncommon, seeing all five bright planets at once is a rare opportunity. The next similar event will occur in late October 2028, but it will take place before sunrise, requiring early risers to catch the view. Fortunately, this February’s alignment is visible at dusk—an ideal time for observation.
Jupiter and Its Moons
Jupiter follows next, standing out with its silvery-white brilliance—though only one-tenth as bright as Venus. Positioned high in the southern sky at dusk, it is accompanied by two famous star clusters, the Pleiades and Hyades, as well as several prominent winter stars, including the orange-hued Aldebaran, which sits just below Jupiter.
With binoculars or a small telescope, you can also spot Jupiter’s four largest moons, first observed by Galileo in 1610. A particularly striking sight occurs on the night of February 25-26, when three of them—Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto—will form a tight triangle on one side of Jupiter, while Io stands alone on the other. This formation will be at its most compact at 12:39 a.m. Eastern Time on February 26 (5:39 a.m. GMT or 9:39 p.m. Pacific Time on February 25).
Mars and the Gemini Twins
Look toward the eastern sky as night falls, and you’ll spot Mars, glowing with a reddish-orange hue. This month, it is accompanied by the “Twin Stars” of Gemini—Pollux and Castor—forming a striking trio that moves across the sky throughout the night.
Mars was at its closest to Earth in January, and as our planet moves ahead in its orbit, Mars will gradually appear fainter, losing about three-quarters of a magnitude over the course of February.
Mercury and Saturn’s Close Encounter
The final planet in this lineup is Mercury, the smallest in the solar system. Becoming visible in the last week of February, it will shine nearly as brightly as Sirius, the night sky’s most luminous star, at a magnitude of -1.2. On February 24, Mercury will set just over an hour after the sun.
On this same evening, Mercury and Saturn will appear in close conjunction, separated by just 1.5 degrees. This presents the perfect opportunity to complete the set and witness all five planets in one night. Mercury will be positioned to Saturn’s right and will shine about eight times brighter.
To spot them, you’ll need a clear west-southwest horizon and transparent skies. Begin looking about 30 minutes after sunset, scanning the sky two fist-widths at arm’s length below Venus. Binoculars are highly recommended—Mercury should be easy to find, but Saturn will be more challenging. While it may be visible through binoculars, spotting it without any optical aid will be difficult.
However, if you manage to see them all, you’ll have successfully completed this round of “planetary bingo.”
