April 9, 2029 Planet Parade: 4 planets in the evening sky
Best seen the evening of Monday, April 9, 2029.
From mid-northern latitudes (around 40°N), look toward the southern sky about 50 minutes after sunset. 4 planets line up, 3 visible to the naked eye, plus 1 with binoculars or a telescope. Good evenings run from Apr 8, 2029 to Apr 11, 2029.
- Mars · 31° up in ESE
- Jupiter · 8° up in ESE
- Saturn · 9° up in W
- Uranus (telescope) · 37° up in W
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus share the evening sky around Apr 9, 2029. Below: what each planet looks like, how to catch the line-up, and how this parade compares with its neighbors.
A planet parade is simply several planets above the horizon at the same time, strung along the ecliptic, the line the Sun, Moon and planets all follow across our sky. They are not close together in space; they only share a direction from our viewpoint. The times and directions above are computed for mid-northern latitudes (around 40°N); exactly what you see depends on your latitude and horizon, so use the live tracker for your spot.
Planet by planet
Mars sits a comfortable 31° above the horizon in the east-southeast. Its amber-orange color is obvious to the naked eye, the tint of a world of oxidized dust.
Jupiter hangs low, only about 8° up in the east-southeast, so it needs a flat, open horizon in that direction. Jupiter outshines every night-time star and moves at a stately pace, spending about a year in each zodiac constellation.
Saturn hangs low, only about 9° up in the west, so it needs a flat, open horizon in that direction. Even at its best Saturn is a modest golden point to the eye, and only a telescope reveals the rings that made it famous.
Uranus rides high, about 37° up in the west, well clear of any horizon haze. Uranus glows right at the naked-eye limit near magnitude 5.7, so it hides in plain sight until binoculars and a chart pin it down.
On the zodiac that evening, Mars stands in Virgo; Jupiter stands in Libra; Saturn stands in Taurus; Uranus stands in Gemini. Signs here are the tropical longitudes the tables on this site use, counted from 0° at the spring equinox.
How to watch this parade
No alarm needed: start about 50 minutes after local sunset on Monday, April 9, 2029, once the twilight has faded enough for the planets to pop out one by one.
The limiting planet is Jupiter at only about 8° up, so pick a viewing spot with an unobstructed view toward the east-southeast. The line stretches about 161° along the ecliptic, so sweep your gaze along the Sun's daily path to trace it.
No two planets crowd together this time; the closest pair, Mars and Jupiter, are about 24° apart, so the line reads as a string rather than a knot.
You need no equipment for Mars, Jupiter and Saturn; Uranus is the reason to bring binoculars or a small telescope.
How good is this one?
Our tracker scores every parade from 0 to 100. This one rates 44 out of 100: 20 of 35 points for the number of planets, 15 of 25 for naked-eye planets, 2 of 20 for how tightly they group, 6 of 10 for altitude, and 1 of 10 for staying power.
The window is short, so aim for the nights right around the peak. The previous parade over this reference location peaked in September 2028 with 5 planets; the next comes in April 24, 2029 with 4 planets.
Does it affect anything on Earth? No. A parade is a line-of-sight effect, not a physical force. The planets' combined tidal pull on Earth is thousands of times weaker than the Moon's, far too small to change tides, weather, or anything else. It is simply a beautiful thing to look at.
Frequently asked questions
Which planets are part of the April 9, 2029 planet parade?
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are visible to the naked eye; Uranus needs binoculars or a telescope.
What time should I look for the April 9, 2029 planet parade?
Start looking about 50 minutes after local sunset, with the best evening on Monday, April 9, 2029. Good evenings run from Apr 8, 2029 to Apr 11, 2029.
Do I need a telescope to see this planet parade?
Not for the highlights: Mars, Jupiter and Saturn show with the unaided eye. You only need binoculars or a telescope for Uranus.
Where in the sky should I look?
Face the southern sky about 50 minutes after sunset. The planets sit between about 8° and 37° above the horizon, strung along the ecliptic.
Keep exploring: the Planet Parade Tracker for any date and place, the Planetary Alignment Calculator for exact conjunction dates, and the Synodic-Period Calculator for how often two planets meet.