Planetary alignment
A planetary alignment is an astronomical event in which three or more planets align in a straight line in their respective orbits from Earth’s perspective.
The planets orbit the sun at different speeds in their respective orbits, so it is possible for them to line up on the same side of Earth when a planetary alignment occurs.
How long does a planetary alignment last?
A planetary alignment is not a single-day event. When it occurs, it lasts for a few days as the planets move slowly in their respective orbits.
What will you see in the sky during a planetary alignment?
The planets always appear along a line in the sky. But remember, this is not a planetary alignment.
A planetary alignment is a rare event when three or more planets appear together within a few degrees of each other in the sky.
The planets orbit the sun in roughly the same plane. So they follow a similar path across our sky, known as the ecliptic. When the planets line up on the same side of Earth in their respective orbits, you can’t perceive their distance in the sky. As a result, you see them together in the sky.
If the alignment is perfect, the planets overlap each other in the sky, appearing as a single point of light to the naked eye.
Please note, a planetary conjunction, where only two planets appear close together in the sky, is also a planetary alignment. In our dedicated article, you will find details about the upcoming planetary conjunctions.
Alignment of Neptune, Saturn, Venus and Mercury in late February 2026
Neptune, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury will appear within 10 degrees of each other in the sky for a few days in late February 2026, creating a planetary alignment.
If you could look down at our solar system from above in late February 2026, you would see that Neptune, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury are roughly aligned in a straight line in their respective orbits from Earth’s perspective.
Neptune, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury will set together around an hour after sunset in late February 2026. Look for them near the western horizon around 40 minutes after sunset.
Mercury will shine with a magnitude of +1.5 and will be located in the zodiac constellation Pisces in the evenings of late February 2026. It will be visible to the right of bright Venus. It will be hard to spot with the naked eye, but a pair of binoculars might help you.
Venus will shine with a magnitude of -3.8 and will be located in the zodiac constellation Aquarius in the evenings of late February 2026. It will appear much brighter than Mercury and Saturn. It will be easily visible with the naked eye.
Saturn will shine with a magnitude of +1.0 and will be located in the zodiac constellation Pisces in the evenings of late February 2026. It will be visible above the bright Venus. It will be easily visible with the naked eye.
Neptune will shine with a magnitude of +8.0 and will be located in the zodiac constellation Pisces in the evenings of late February 2026. It will be visible very close to Saturn (on the right). You need a telescope or high-powered binoculars to see Neptune as it shines beyond the limit of naked-eye visibility.
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Why nobody talking about the fact that mercury, venus, earth and neptune is aling as sunday march 16 2025
Hello Max,
Thanks for the comment. This is because we discuss the planetary alignment that is visible in the night sky. Currently Neptune is too close to the sun to be visible in the night sky. Only Mercury and Venus are visible close together in the evening twilight. They appeared closest (conjunction of Mercury and Venus) on March 9, 2025.