Planet Parade

During the last week of April 2022, a rare and unique planet alignment is going to occur, which is popularly known as 'planet parade'.

• Although there is no scientific definition for 'planet parade', it is being widely used in astronomy to denote an event that takes place when planets of the solar system line up in a row in the same area of the sky.

Planets that are lined up:

• Four planets–Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn–will align in the same ecliptic plane of our solar system, making them seem as if they are in a straight line across the eastern horizon.
• These planets, though quite far away from each other, will be uniquely positioned to appear as if they’re in a straight line.
• Further, two more planets – Mercury and Uranus is expected to join the alignment later this year.
• The alignment will be one of the few rare phenomena that will actually be visible to watchers without the need for a telescope or other viewing instrument.
  

What is planet alignment?

• Planetary alignments occur when the planets' orbits bring them to the same region of the sky, when viewed from Earth.
• These planetary alignments are not rare, but they're not regularly occurring.
• The last time five planets aligned in the night sky was in 2020, preceded by alignments in 2016 and 2005.