Alignments of four or five planets moving in a row across the sky over the course of an evening are relatively common and take place every couple of years. In January, six planets were visible from Earth, and now Mercury is joining them.

On Friday evening, about an hour after sunset, five planets will be visible to the naked eye. Spotting Mercury and Saturn, which will be positioned in the western sky, will be more challenging than seeing Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, as they will be close to setting and astronomical twilight will not yet have begun. With a powerful pair of binoculars or a telescope, it will be possible to find Uranus and Neptune.

All the planets move through the sky in the same plane and can be seen roughly in the same area where the Sun appears during the daytime. Unlike stars, the light emitted by planets is steadier and does not twinkle.

Venus will be the easiest to spot on Friday evening, as it is the brightest object in the sky, outshining both stars and other planets, and will be located roughly in the western sky. Saturn, dimmer than Venus, can be seen near the horizon in the western sky. Mercury will appear close to Saturn but is even fainter. Mars, with its reddish hue, will be visible in the southeastern sky and will appear relatively bright. Jupiter, slightly dimmer than Mars, will be located in the southern sky.

Like Mercury and Saturn, Neptune will be nearly set by the evening of February 28. Uranus will be in the southwestern sky near Jupiter.

Although cloudy weather is expected in Estonia on Friday, there is no need for disappointment — the planets are not going anywhere, even if this kind of large-scale alignment will not be visible again for several years. However, as the days grow longer, spotting Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Uranus will become increasingly difficult in March.

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