Mars, Saturn and Venus to align on Jan 22: How to watch first planetary parade of 2025 in India

Planetary Parade 2025: The New Year has set in, and the universe seems to be joining in the festive spirit with humans, with a ‘planetary parade’ likely to occur in the first month of 2025.

A ‘planetary parade’ is a rare celestial event where all the planets appear to align in a single line, resembling a parade. While it’s tricky to catch all nine planets together, previous sightings have shown Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, and Venus aligned.

Livemint brings you a complete guide on planetary parade dates and when to watch the phenomenon.

Planetary Parade 2025: When to watch

In 2025, the planetary parade will happen two times, once in January and once in March.

Planetary Parade: January 2025

Six planets, including Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus, will be visible from January 21, 2025, and for about four weeks afterwards.

While the naked eye can see Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, a telescope is needed to see Neptune and Uranus, according to reports by NASA (The National Aeronautics and Space Administration).

Planetary Parade: When to watch in India

January 21 is a general date when the planetary parade will be visible in all countries across the world, including India. According to reports, the best time to view this planetary alignment in India will be after sunset, around 8:30 p.m.

Planetary Parade: March 2025

The Planetary Parade will be visible once again in March, when Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Saturn, and Mercury will be joined by Mercury. According to reports, March 8 would be the best time to watch the phenomenon. A crescent moon may also appear in the night sky at that time.

More on Planetary Parade

When Earth is positioned along with several other planets on one side of the Sun, it creates the appearance of a planetary alignment in the sky. The narrower the sky area in which the planets are visible, the more striking and spectacular the alignment appears to an observer.