HELENA — The planets are aligned. Six planets, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus and Saturn can be seen in the night sky. You'll need binoculars or a telescope to see Neptune and Uranus but they're out there too.
Because the planets in our solar system orbit the sun on a flat plane, they always appear somewhere along a line. What is rare is four planets visible to the naked eye and two more possibly seen with visual aid. You could also count Earth if you just look down.
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The easiest planets to see might be Venus and Saturn in the southwest sky after dark. Venus is the brightest, and you can find Saturn just below Venus for the first couple of hours in the evening. Just the other night, a string of Starlink satellites passed the planets as well.
Neptune is clustered close to Venus, to the south and slightly above Venus. You'll need a telescope or high-powered binoculars and it will appear like a star. These planets will set before midnight.
Jupiter is bright and overhead, north of the constellation Orion. Uranus is west of Jupiter and impossible to see without a telescope.
Finally, Mars rises late in the evening in the eastern sky. Its reddish color makes it easily identifiable. Mars sets in the western sky just before sunrise.
Watch related coverage: Have you been seeing bright lights in the sky over Western Montana?
Later in February, seven planets will align. The last time that happened was on April 8, 2023, during the total solar eclipse.
