Space-lovers have much to look forward to next week - as there will be a rare alignment of the planets which will visible in the night sky.
Most people in the world will be able to watch the event, also known as a planetary parade, on February 28. It is set to take place when Mercury joins six other planets already lined up.
Alignments of four or five planets is not uncommon, but to see all seven is a rare event that is next set to take place in 2040.
Lauren Clayman, chief safety and mission assurance officer for the Radioisotope Power Systems Program, told Nasa that the best way to view the planetary parade starts at sunset.
“The visibility will be better the darker it is. Look towards the moon and try to go somewhere where there is less light pollution, away from cities,” she said.
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Clayman also advised that while most of the planets can be seen by the naked eye, Uranus and Neptune will need to be viewed with a telescope.
Planetary alignments used to be seen by ancient cultures as an omen from the gods, the Museum of Science said. “Nowadays, we can appreciate the alignment for the incredible astronomical it is. Museum of Science,” it added.
The next alignment of five or more planets will be in October 2028, and then again in February 2034.
Dr Christopher Barnes, a senior lecturer at the University of Derby, told The Independent: “Mars will appear in the east, Jupiter and Uranus in the southeast, and Venus, Neptune, and Saturn in the west.”
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He added: “Even people in cities and light-polluted areas will be able to see most of the planets, but for the best views, it’s advisable to find a darker location.”
Planetary alignments happen because the planets in our solar system orbit the sun within roughly the same plane. As they orbit at different speeds and distances from the sun, “there are moments when they appear to line up from Earth's perspective”, Dr Shyam Balaji, researcher in astroparticle physics and cosmology at King’s College London, said.
Balaji explained: “This alignment is a visual phenomenon rather than a physical one, as the planets remain separated by millions or even billions of kilometres in space. There is no significant effect on Earth from planetary alignments regarding tides or weather.”
The scientist’s advice for viewing the planetary parade included using binoculars or a small telescope, finding a viewing location away from city lights, and checking reliable astronomy websites for updated viewing information as the date approaches.