If you want to see all the planets lined up and see where the little blue dot of earth fits into the big picture, now is a good time to see them, from Venus in the west through to reddish Mars in the northeast.
The Grand Planetary Alignment of 2025 has all the planets on view in the night sky and amateur astronomer and part of the team behind Wai-iti Dark Sky Park, Ralph Bradley, says they are usually spread out between the northern and southern hemispheres. But now, if you get a clear, dark sky and good views of the western horizon, he says there is a good chance to see them all at once – maybe with the help of binoculars for the smaller ones.
“It’s only at night-time we can see our place in the universe and I think there’s something quite wonderful about being able to see, not only the planets, but where we are in the universe and that’s quite humbling to think we’re a little blue dot in this amazing galaxy and galaxies beyond that.”
Venus is the brightest in the west as twilight fades to darkness, but he says it’s pretty low on the western horizon, while Mars in the northeast looks larger than usual and is distinguishable by its red hue.
