Which planets will show up aligned in January night sky?

The alignment of six planets will be visible in the night sky in January, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). 

In 24 Oras’ “Kuya Kim Ano Na?” segment on Wednesday, the event is also known as a “planetary parade”.  The alignment features Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

“Bale yung alignment talaga visible naman siya, pero iba po kasi yung idea nila ng alignment, ang alignment po na nangyari po ngayon is yung sa sky,” said Nico Mendoza, PAGASA weather observer. 

(The alignment will be visible in the sky.) 

“From our perspective, mukha siyang straight line kasi dun naman talaga yung placement ng mga planets viewed from Earth. Pero sa outer space hindi talaga sila nakalinya,” he added. 

(From our perspective here on Earth, it looks like a straight line. But in outer space, they are not aligned.) 

Belgian meteorologist Jean Meeus said the alignment of all eight planets is a rare event as it only happens every 396 billion years, which is older than the sun’s age of 4 billion years. 

PAGASA said that four planets - Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, will be visible to the naked eye. But to see Neptune and Uranus, a modest telescope or a pair of high-powered binoculars is needed. 

The public can also view the phenomenon at PAGASA’s Astronomical Observatory. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/NB, GMA Integrated News