Parade of planets will take place on February 28: how to see rare astronomical phenomenon

On February 28, in the evening and at night, Ukrainians will be able to see a rare phenomenon when six planets line up in one line - such a parade is called the Great.

Ukrainian News Agency will tell you about this.

NASA notes the parade of planets as one of the brightest astronomical phenomena of 2026. On February 28, six planets will be visible in the sky - Mercury, Venus, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus and Jupiter will appear shortly after sunset.

At the same time, four of these planets will be visible to the naked eye, if the weather permits. Uranus and Neptune will only be visible with the help of optical instruments. However, it is also difficult to notice Mercury with the naked eye.

The reason why the planets seem to be a "parade" is that, roughly speaking, they move across the sky along the same trajectory from the eastern to the western horizon. Thus, from about mid-to-late February, the six planets of our solar system will line up along the Sun's path.

During the parade of planets, Saturn and Neptune are very close to each other in the sky. According to Timeanddate calculations, on February 20, these two planets were supposed to approach each other as close as possible this decade, and this approach is in third place in the century, with an angular distance of about 0.83 degrees.

The closest approach this century will occur on June 7, 2061, with a small distance of about 0.11 degrees. The second closest approach will occur at the end of the century, on August 27, 2096, with an angular distance very similar to this year.

Recall that you cannot observe objects located close to the Sun with binoculars or a telescope while any part of the Sun is above the horizon.

Tips for observing the parade of planets:

1. Look at the sky after sunset - this is the best time to observe the planets and bright stars.
2. Find a dark place away from artificial light and let your eyes adjust for 15-20 minutes.
3. Check the weather, as clouds can interfere with observing celestial objects.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the first eclipse of 2026 also occurred in February - an annular solar eclipse, which turned the Sun into a so-called "ring of fire".

Meanwhile, scientists have discovered an underground tunnel on Venus formed by volcanic activity, which may be the second confirmed lava tunnel on the planet.

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