The Planets Gather for a Show in the Evening Sky
2025-02-28
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1All seven major planets form a kind of parade in the sky at the end of February.
2Although two of the planets are not visible to the unaided eye, all are on the same side of the sun during the evening hours.
3This planetary grouping happens when the planets appear to line up in the night sky as seen from Earth.
4They do not form a straight line, but they do stretch across the evening sky this year.
5The American space agency, NASA, says these astronomical gatherings are common.
6A parade of four or five planets visible to the unaided eye happens every few years.
7A similar parade took place last June, but only two planets could be seen without the use of special equipment.
8Six planets were visible in January.
9Four were visible to the unaided eye.
10In recent weeks, Mercury joined the group.
11Venus, Mars and Jupiter are all easily visible in the evening.
12Saturn is now very close to the setting sun and Mercury is close to the horizon, making both hard to see.
13Uranus and Neptune are the most distant planets.
14Uranus can be glimpsed with binoculars or a telescope under good conditions.
15But Neptune is now too close to the sun to be seen.
16Seeing the brightest planets is easy.
17Go outside on a clear night after sunset.
18The planets will shine brighter than the stars.
19Mars is a bright, reddish-orange light appearing high in the constellation Gemini.
20Jupiter is very bright and a little lower than Mars toward the constellation Taurus.
21Venus, in the constellation of Pisces, is the brightest natural object in the sky besides the sun and moon.
22There are many stargazing apps available that can help identify the planets and bright stars.
23The planets will slowly move lower and lower in the west throughout the spring.
24I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1All seven major planets form a kind of parade in the sky at the end of February. Although two of the planets are not visible to the unaided eye, all are on the same side of the sun during the evening hours. 2This planetary grouping happens when the planets appear to line up in the night sky as seen from Earth. They do not form a straight line, but they do stretch across the evening sky this year. 3The American space agency, NASA, says these astronomical gatherings are common. A parade of four or five planets visible to the unaided eye happens every few years. 4A similar parade took place last June, but only two planets could be seen without the use of special equipment. Six planets were visible in January. Four were visible to the unaided eye. In recent weeks, Mercury joined the group. 5Venus, Mars and Jupiter are all easily visible in the evening. Saturn is now very close to the setting sun and Mercury is close to the horizon, making both hard to see. Uranus and Neptune are the most distant planets. Uranus can be glimpsed with binoculars or a telescope under good conditions. But Neptune is now too close to the sun to be seen. 6Seeing the brightest planets is easy. Go outside on a clear night after sunset. The planets will shine brighter than the stars. Mars is a bright, reddish-orange light appearing high in the constellation Gemini. Jupiter is very bright and a little lower than Mars toward the constellation Taurus. 7Venus, in the constellation of Pisces, is the brightest natural object in the sky besides the sun and moon. 8There are many stargazing apps available that can help identify the planets and bright stars. 9The planets will slowly move lower and lower in the west throughout the spring. 10I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 11Adithi Ramakhrishnan reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. 12____________________________________________________ 13Words in This Story 14visible -adj. able to be seen by the eye 15horizon -n. where the sky apparently meets the land 16glimpse -v. to see something for a short time or with some difficulty 17constellation -n. a group of stars that is defined by international scientific agreement 18app (application) -n. a computer program for a specific purpose