How to see rare seven planet alignment in Australian skies

A rare planetary parade will occur in the night sky this week that won’t be seen again until 2040.

Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Saturn and Mercury will be strung across the sky in an arc shape on February 28.

Stargazers will have to wait another 15 years for the next alignment* involving seven planets.

The moment will be short, and stargazers across Australia should head out around 30 minutes after sunset to catch the parade.

Only five planets – Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and Mercury – will be visible* to the naked eye*.

Uranus and Neptune are simply too far away from Earth, meaning stargazers will need a telescope or binoculars to see them.

While they will mostly look like larger, twinkling stars, you should be able to set Venus and Mars apart from the rest.

Venus will appear as the brightest in the sky, shining twice as bright as the North Star, Polaris.

Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will appear as bright-white points of light, while Mars has a distinct orange glow.

Alignments of four or five planets are not uncommon, as their orbits bring them to the same side of the sun as the Earth.

But it’s very rare for six, or even seven, planets to align.

HOW TO SEE THE PLANET PARADE
Venus and Saturn will only be visible for a short time after sunset, so it’s best to get out nice and early.

Jupiter will appear in the north sky, and Mars, with its orange colour, will be lower in the sky in the northeast, according to the ABC.

Neptune and Uranus will sit between Venus and Jupiter, and you’ll need a telescope or a pair of binoculars to spot them.

NEW AUSTRALIAN STAR
The planetary alignment comes as Australia claims its first female in space.

Media company Chicago Star founder Elaine Chia Hyde was part of a six-person crew aboard Jeff Bezos’* Blue Origin rocket on its tenth human flight.

Raised in Australia, Ms Hyde, who is also the first Singaporean-born person to enter space, studied business and physics at the University of Melbourne before moving to the US, where she now lives.

“I think I left half myself up there. I feel like I’m still there, it’s a wonder. I can’t wait for you to go,” Ms Hyde said moments after arriving back on Earth.

“I thought I knew what home was, but when I was floating up there and you see it right there … you get a new definition of what home is.

“It’s incredible and when I was in there (the rocket) it felt like it was a cradle made for me and I was so safe.”

Beyond her work in science, Ms Hyde also founded Eastside Enterprises, a research and development firm specialising in AI-assisted* media products.

Now based in Florida, she lives with her husband, a fellow physicist, and their five children.

Parts of this article originally appeared in The Sun and were reproduced with permission.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• alignment: when the planets are lined up in a row or arc
• visible: can be seen
• naked eye: without the use of a telescope or binoculars
• Jeff Bezos: an American entrepreneur best known for creating e-commerce platform Amazon but who also founded Blue Origin, a space technology company that has now launched 10 space missions for tourists
• AI-assisted: using Artificial Intelligence, or machine learning, to create or expand upon media content

EXTRA READING
First tourist ‘sets foot’ in space
The greatest show on Earth
First ‘Aussie’ astronaut reaches for the stars

QUICK QUIZ
1. Which planets will line up in a “planetary parade”?
2. When is the next time something like this will happen?
3. Which two planets are two far away to see with the naked eye?
4. Who is the first Australian woman to go to space?
5. Which other space milestone has she claimed?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Why is Venus the brightest?
Why do you think Venus will be the brightest planet in the sky when the “planet parade” happens? Write down your ideas. Then use your research skills to see if you are right!

Time: allow at least 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science

2. Extension
Imagine that you are the sixth person on board the Blue Origin rocket flight with Elaine. Write a diary entry about your experience.

Time: allow at least 45 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science

VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.

Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.

Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?

Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.