December 2029 Planet Parade: 5 planets in the evening sky

Venus, Mars, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune share the evening sky around Dec 12, 2029. Below: what each planet looks like, how to catch the line-up, and how this parade compares with its neighbors.

The phrase planet parade has no formal definition in astronomy. It just means several planets are in view at once, spaced along the ecliptic, the apparent path the Sun and Moon also trace. Nothing is happening out in space; the planets stay tens or hundreds of millions of kilometers apart and only line up as seen from Earth. Our figures are for mid-northern latitudes (around 40°N), so check the live tracker for your own latitude and horizon.

Planet by planet

Venus hangs low, only about 13° up in the southwest, so it needs a flat, open horizon in that direction. After the Sun and Moon it is the brightest object in the sky, unmistakable even from a light-polluted city.

Mars sits a comfortable 17° above the horizon in the southwest. 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.

Saturn sits a comfortable 30° above the horizon in the east. Its famous rings do not show in binoculars; a small telescope at 25x or more opens them up.

Uranus hangs low, only about 13° up in the east-northeast, so it needs a flat, open horizon in that direction. Binoculars show it as a faint blue-green star; a telescope at high power turns it into a tiny disk.

Neptune rides high, about 46° up in the southeast, well clear of any horizon haze. Neptune has never once been seen without optical aid; at magnitude 7.8 it takes a telescope to lift it from the background stars.

On the zodiac that evening, Venus and Mars share Capricorn; Saturn stands in Taurus; Uranus stands in Gemini; Neptune stands in Aries. 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 50° up in the south. It makes a handy signpost for star-hopping to the fainter planets.

How to watch this parade

No alarm needed: start about 53 minutes after local sunset on Wednesday, December 12, 2029, once the twilight has faded enough for the planets to pop out one by one.

The limiting planet is Venus at only about 13° up, so pick a viewing spot with an unobstructed view toward the southwest. The line stretches about 143° along the ecliptic, so sweep your gaze along the Sun's daily path to trace it.

One pairing stands out this time: Venus and Mars sit about 6° apart, close enough to frame together in binoculars or a single photo.

You need no equipment for Venus, Mars and Saturn; Uranus and Neptune are 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 55 out of 100: 25 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 3 of 10 for staying power.

The window is forgiving: good evenings run for roughly 17 weeks (Nov 12, 2029 to Mar 11, 2030), so one cloudy night costs you nothing. The previous parade over this reference location peaked in September 2029 with 4 planets; the next comes in August 2030 with 5 planets.

Will it affect anything down here? No. Lining up in our sky changes nothing physically. Even with every planet pulling the same way, their combined tide on Earth is a few thousand times weaker than the Moon's ordinary daily pull, so tides, weather and everything else carry on exactly as before. Enjoy it purely as a sight.

Frequently asked questions

Which planets are part of the December 2029 planet parade?

Venus, Mars, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Venus, Mars and Saturn are visible to the naked eye; Uranus and Neptune need binoculars or a telescope.

What time should I look for the December 2029 planet parade?

Start looking about 53 minutes after local sunset, with the best evening on Wednesday, December 12, 2029. Good evenings run from Nov 12, 2029 to Mar 11, 2030.

Do I need a telescope to see this planet parade?

Not for the highlights: Venus, Mars and Saturn show with the unaided eye. You only need binoculars or a telescope for Uranus and Neptune.

Where in the sky should I look?

Face the southeast about 53 minutes after sunset. The planets sit between about 13° and 46° 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.