April 24, 2029 Planet Parade: 4 planets in the evening sky
Best seen the evening of Tuesday, April 24, 2029.
From mid-northern latitudes (around 40°N), look toward the southwest about 52 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 14, 2029 to Apr 27, 2029.
- Mercury · 9° up in WNW
- Mars · 45° up in SE
- Jupiter · 23° up in ESE
- Uranus (telescope) · 23° up in W
Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus share the evening sky around Apr 24, 2029. Below: what each planet looks like, how to catch the line-up, and how this parade compares with its neighbors.
When several planets climb into the same twilight, we call it a planet parade. They are not gathering in space; they only share a direction from Earth, all of them close to the ecliptic because the Solar System is nearly flat. Treat the times and bearings below as a guide for mid-northern latitudes (around 40°N), and use the live tracker to pin them to your exact spot.
Planet by planet
Mercury hangs low, only about 9° up in the west-northwest, so it needs a flat, open horizon in that direction. Because it hugs the Sun, Mercury only ever shows in a short window at dawn or dusk, so catching it inside a parade is a small triumph.
Mars rides high, about 45° up in the southeast, well clear of any horizon haze. Mars swings around to a bright close approach only every 26 months, so how brilliant it looks in any given parade is a roll of the orbital dice.
Jupiter sits a comfortable 23° above the horizon in the east-southeast. Hold binoculars steady on Jupiter and its four bright moons string out beside it, their line-up shifting from one night to the next.
Uranus sits a comfortable 23° above the horizon in the west. Binoculars show it as a faint blue-green star; a telescope at high power turns it into a tiny disk.
On the zodiac that evening, Mercury stands in Taurus; Mars stands in Virgo; Jupiter stands in Libra; Uranus stands in Gemini. Signs here are the tropical longitudes the tables on this site use, counted from 0° at the spring equinox.
The Moon joins the line-up too, about 49° up in the south-southeast. It makes a handy signpost for star-hopping to the fainter planets.
How to watch this parade
No alarm needed: start about 52 minutes after local sunset on Tuesday, April 24, 2029, once the twilight has faded enough for the planets to pop out one by one.
The limiting planet is Mercury at only about 9° up, so pick a viewing spot with an unobstructed view toward the west-northwest. The line stretches about 147° 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, Mercury and Uranus, are about 18° apart, so the line reads as a string rather than a knot.
You need no equipment for Mercury, Mars and Jupiter; 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 48 out of 100: 20 of 35 points for the number of planets, 15 of 25 for naked-eye planets, 4 of 20 for how tightly they group, 8 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 April 9, 2029 with 4 planets; the next comes in September 2029 with 4 planets.
Is there any physical effect? No. A parade is something you see, not something that happens to the planet under your feet. Add up the pull of every planet at once and it still comes to thousands of times less than the Moon's, far below anything that could touch tides or weather. It is worth looking at for its own sake.
Frequently asked questions
Which planets are part of the April 24, 2029 planet parade?
Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus. Mercury, Mars and Jupiter are visible to the naked eye; Uranus needs binoculars or a telescope.
What time should I look for the April 24, 2029 planet parade?
Start looking about 52 minutes after local sunset, with the best evening on Tuesday, April 24, 2029. Good evenings run from Apr 14, 2029 to Apr 27, 2029.
Do I need a telescope to see this planet parade?
Not for the highlights: Mercury, Mars and Jupiter show with the unaided eye. You only need binoculars or a telescope for Uranus.
Where in the sky should I look?
Face the southwest about 52 minutes after sunset. The planets sit between about 9° and 45° 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.