Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury are all currently visible with the naked eye for skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere.
The best time to see the planets is after dusk on a clear night in a spot that is away from city lights and other forms of light pollution.Like a celestial parade across the cosmos, five bright planets are lighting up the night sky and visible with the naked eye all February long — with two other planets also detectable for skywatchers with special equipment.
Venus is typically the easiest to spot in the southwestern sky because it tends to be the brightest. Saturn can be spotted almost directly below Venus, but the ringed planet will become increasingly harder to see as the month goes on and it sinks lower in the sky each day after sunset. To see Jupiter, look high up in the south at dusk. Mars, meanwhile, will appear about halfway up in the eastern sky.
Occasionally, all of the planets will be on the same side of the metaphorical racetrack, spread across the sky much like how cars can be positioned at different points along the same straightaway of a track, Faherty said.
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