A planetary alignment, casually called a ‘planet parade,’ occurs when several planets gather closely on one side of the sun at the same time, according to USA Today. Six planets will align on August 10 with four of them easily visible from the naked eye. Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will be bright enough to be seen without a telescope in the hour before sunrise.
But sky enthusiasts and sky gazers will need a telescope or binoculars to see Uranus and Neptune. The planets will be visible on the eastern horizon, and Mercury will rise shortly before sunrise near the Cancer constellation, so it’s best to start looking about an hour before the sun comes up, according to National World.
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How to watch planet parade in US?
While Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will be bright enough to be seen without a telescope in the hour before sunrise, but stargazers will need a telescope or binoculars to see Uranus and Neptune.
Sunrise in New Jersey on Aug. 10 will be around 6 a.m. Four of them will be visible to the naked eye — Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury —while Uranus and Neptune will only be visible with binoculars or a telescope.
The planets will be visible on the eastern horizon, and Mercury will rise shortly before sunrise near the Cancer constellation, so it’s best to start looking about an hour before the sun comes up.
On August 12, Jupiter and Venus will appear slightly higher and to the right of Mercury, positioned right beside each other in the night sky. This marks their closest alignment of the year, known as a conjunction.
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Farther to the right and highest in the sky will be Uranus, which is best spotted using binoculars or a telescope and below and to the right of Uranus, you’ll find Neptune and Saturn.
About an hour before sunrise on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, look in the eastern horizon. Mercury will rise shortly before sunrise and stay closest to the sun in the constellation Cancer. Higher in the sky, Jupiter, the second brightest planet, and Venus, will be to the right of Mercury.
According to Starwalk, Venus and Jupiter will make their closest approach of the year on Aug. 12 — enough to cover both planets with your little finger at arm’s length.
Further to the right and highest in the sky will be Uranus (in Taurus). You’ll need at least a pair of binoculars to view it.
Further to the right, you’ll need binoculars to spot Neptune (in Pisces) and nearby Saturn (also in Pisces). Saturn will appear to have a steady, yellowish glow, setting it apart from other stars.
How does the planetary alignment made?
The planets orbit the sun continuously in the solar system. But at times, they slowly catch up to each other as they travel along the same path, or ecliptic, as they pass Earth, it appears they are aligned, according to NASA. The alignment formation, however, will be short-lived because each planet moves at different speeds.
According to Starwalk, the next alignment will occur on February 28, 2026 when Mercury, Venus, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Jupiter align in the sky. Once these planets are above the horizon on August 10, if you’re in the northern hemisphere, you will see Neptune and Saturn to the southwest (about 40 degrees above the horizon), followed by Uranus to the southeast (about 55 degrees above the horizon).
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