A rare six-planet alignment recently lit up the sky, with Mercury joining Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune in a celestial “parade” that began on August 17. The phenomenon, also known as a planetary alignment, allows multiple planets to be seen from Earth at the same time.
This was the final planetary parade of 2025, with a crescent Moon expected to join the display later in August.
Aside from being amazing to look at, planetary alignments such as these are important for scientific research. Curious as to why? Check out this gallery to find out more.