A unique planetary parade will be visible in February, but such an event won't occur again until 2040. Check out the stunning photos!

The so-called planetary parade, consisting of seven worlds of the Solar System, will be observable shortly after sunset on February 28. On this day, the planets Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Mercury, and Saturn will align in a straight line, a phenomenon that won't occur again until 2040, reports Daily Mail.

What is commonly referred to as a planetary parade is actually known by astronomers as planetary alignment. This event happens when several planets of the Solar System appear on one side of the Sun and align almost in a straight line, which can be seen from Earth.

Typically, such planetary parades consist of no more than five worlds; it's rare to see six planets, and alignments of seven planets are even less common. The next occurrence of this event will not be seen for another 15 years.

Astronomers believe that most of the planets will be bright enough to be easily distinguished from stars and visible to the naked eye. A distinguishing feature of planets is that they do not twinkle like stars; instead, they reflect sunlight steadily. To see Uranus and Neptune, however, a pair of binoculars or a telescope will be necessary, as these planets are too dim to be observed without optical aid.

According to scientists, for a couple of hours after sunset on February 28, a unique planetary parade will be visible. After that, Venus, Saturn, and Neptune will descend below the horizon.

Distinguishing between the planets is relatively straightforward. For instance, the brightest planet shining with a white light will be Venus. The second brightest will be Jupiter, which will also emit white light. Saturn will come in third in brightness, displaying a pale yellow hue due to ammonia crystals in its upper atmosphere. Mars will shine a reddish-orange color in the sky.

Venus and Saturn will appear closest to each other, with Neptune nearby, while Jupiter, Mars, and Uranus will be visible further to the east.

During the planetary alignment, it appears as though all the planets are arranged in a long line stretching from east to south across the night sky. During the planetary parade, it seems that all these worlds are close together, but in reality, they are separated by millions of kilometers. Moreover, the planets in the Solar System are never truly aligned in a single line; this is merely an optical illusion. Each planet has a distinct orbit, resulting in varying trajectories around the Sun.